We e-mailed Thomas Kennedy from the Australian Wheelchair Rugby Team. Thomas won a Silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Games. He explained to us a little bit about wheelchair rugby rules. He said, "There are 12 players on a team but four play on the court." He also informed us that the wheelchair rugby players play on a basketball court. Mr. Kennedy said, "We are ranked at a point system according to our muscle make-up, we are the quadriplegics, which means all four limbs (arm and legs) have been affected in some way. In 1984 while riding a motorcycle, he hit a horse and broke his neck. (See spinal cord diagram) He is paralyzed from his shoulders down, and he says, "At the time of my accident, I thought my sporting days were over." But then he got involved in different sports, and in a few years, he was on the Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby team getting a Silver medal.
We heard from another athlete named Pete who is also on the Australian Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby Team with Thomas Kennedy. Pete's nickname is "Rodman." Rodman ended up in a wheelchair because he was racing a Semi-Pro Super-X and Moto-X (dirt bike racing) and had a fall at the last round of the Australian Super-X titles in Melbourne in 1992. He fell off at a high-speed, landed on his head and broke his neck from the impact. His helmet saved his life. He said, "I think entering the Paralympic stadium in front of so many people cheering for us, along with the start of our very first game against Sweden, would have to be my best experience. " Pete's team lost the Gold medal to the Americans by one point, but still finished second in the world and got the Silver medal. Rodman says, "I've said before that to say we weren't disappointed at losing the Gold medal would be a lie. But, as time passes on, you become more satisfied with what we achieved- We entered the Paralympics ranked #5 in the world and exited ranked #2. Which is not bad effort in itself. We all gave it our best shot and on that day the US was a better team. I guess losing by a single point is better than losing by ten! I can tell you one thing though, the Americans won't take "those darn Aussies" lightly next time we meet! :)"
We also heard from the Paralympic swimmer Denise Beckwith. She said she wanted to be a part of the Paralympics because "It is every person's dream to represent their country in the highest regard possible - whether it be in sport and/or academics." Denise wanted to be in the Paralympics because she was inspired by Priya Cooper who has cerebral palsy (just like Denise) and won a Gold medal along with breaking a world record. She says her training was very hard and took a lot out of her general life. Ms. Beckwith's training consisted of eight pool sessions a week that were two hours long. In each session she had to swim approximately 4-5 kilometers. The majority of her program is freestyle swimming. Denise also did Tae Kwon Do and gymnastics to develop her upper body. Denise can't use her legs because of cerebral palsy. All her extra training helped her reaction time and upper body strength.
Don Elgin is a below knee amputee athlete. He competed in the Athletics competition. He participated in many events in the Sydney, Australia 2000 Paralympic Games such as 100 meter, 200 meter, 400 meter, Pentathlon, Discus, Long Jump, and Shot Put. These Paralympic Games were his second. He said, "Staying in the Paralympic Village was very exciting and it was great to be able to meet so many people from all around the world." He also said, " The dining hall was a really good part of the Games. Though the best part of the Games was having so much support from people all over Australia." He was delighted to have won his first Paralympic medal and says he is already in training for the Paralympic Games in 2004.
Tim Matthews said, "In my opinion, the organization and running of the Games could not have been much better than they were. It was his second Paralympic Games. He also commented, "From entering the village and being a special part of the 285 Australian athletes in the team, marching out into a near-capacity Olympic stadium was worth the four-year journey itself." His "pet" event is the 100 meter run. He was also a part of the 4 by 400 meter relay, which shattered the world record by 14 seconds! The next night, Mr. Matthews had the 100 meter final. He expected to win and was expected to be in front after going 30 meters. He wasn't however, and said he probably panicked a little instead of becoming relaxed. Mr. Matthews worked very hard to get ahead at about 70 meters. He won the Bronze medal and lost the Gold by two hundredths of a second. However, he wasn't disappointed that he lost the Gold. The thing that bothered him was the time the winner beat him by. Twelve hours later, Mr. Matthews raced in the 200-meter competition. He said, "The athletics track was the last place I wanted to be after the disappointment the night before." He ran well and made it to the finals. Again, he won the Bronze and missed out on the Silver by two hundredths of a second to team mate Heath Frances. Again, he was very happy with his Bronze medal. His final event was on "Super Saturday." It was the 4 by 100 meter relay, which his team couldn't wait for. He won and set another world record! He said, "Standing up on the podium was amazing." He went home with two Gold medals and two Bronze medals from four events and hopes to have another opportunity to win the individual Gold medal in 2004.
Norma Koplick participated in the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia. She said, "My experience at the Games was so exciting, the people and crowds that gave us the support even if we lost." Ms. Koplick won a Silver medal at the Games in Javelin. The competition there was very strong. She also added, "Meeting up with all the other athletes from all over the world and the village was so busy a place with all the athletes running around swapping badges etc. was something I will never forget and will hold with me for the rest of my life. "
Chantal Benoit is a wheelchair basketball player and has been playing for 16 years. She was born in Beloeil, Quebec. Ms. Benoit made the National Team in 1984 and represented Canada in the International Wheelchair Basketball ever since. Chantal is now a world star. Chantal's women's basketball team have been Gold medallists in the 1992 and 1996 Paralympic Games in Barcelona and Atlanta. Her philosophy is "Be in love with what you do, both in life and sport." It is said that she is the "Michael Jordan" of this sport.