[Sportsandrec] Competition Corner Questions

[Cervenka, Stacy (Brownback)]

Jennifer,
	I just copied and pasted the text from this month's issue of
"Competition Corner" below. At least in my email, it's coming across
perfectly, with no funky computer code, symbols, or upside down question
marks. 
Hope this works,
Stacy

COMPETITION CORNER


THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SPORTS AND RECREATION DIVISION 

VOLUME 2, #4
November 2008 

Edited By
Lisamaria Martinez



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TABLE OF CONTENTS


THE PRESIDENT'S PITCH, By Lisamaria Martinez 
INTERVIEW WITH PARALYMPIC JUDO BRONZE MEDALIST, GREG DEWALL, By Stacy
Cervenka 
DREAM BIG, WORK HARD, ACHIEVE! By Jessica Lorenz 
A FEW NOTES ABOUT TANDEM BICYCLES, By Ron Burzese 
FETA-SPINACH SALMON ROST, Submitted By Lisamaria Martinez 



THE PRESIDENT'S PITCH
By Lisamaria Martinez 



Competition Corner is the publication of the Sports and Recreation
Division of the National Federation of the Blind. Members can expect to
read an update from the president of the Sports and Recreation Division
as well as a variety of articles and web links that may be of interest
to blind individuals who are interested in--or passionate about--health,
fitness and recreational and competitive sports activities. 

This edition is chalk full of exciting articles. Two of the three
articles reflect upon the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and spotlights bronze
medal winning judo athlete Greg DeWall and the gold medal winning
women's goalball team. The final article, by Ron Burzese, is an article
I thought I'd include in the Competition Corner edition appearing before
the holidays. Family members, friends, or loved ones may consider
reading this article before purchasing that tandem bike your blind
relative/friend/spouse has been hinting about. 

The Sports and Recreation Division Board wants to be one of the very
first to wish all of you a very happy holiday season. Enjoy this edition
and may it bring you good cheer for the remainder of this 2008 year. The
S&R Board is working hard to bring all of you a fantastic 2009 year. 

As always, keep a close eye on your email in-box and your finger off the
delete button for the next edition of Competition Corner. 




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INTERVIEW WITH PARALYMPIC JUDO BRONZE MEDALIST, GREG DEWALL
By Stacy Cervenka 



On January 20, 1997 at one o'clock in the morning, Greg DeWall made the
decision to end his life. Like most high school seniors, DeWall felt an
enormous amount of pressure from his parents, teachers, and coaches to
make many crucial decisions in the next few months that would determine
the course of his life. Should he join the military? Should he go to
college? If so, what should he study? A talented high school athlete,
Greg knew he might be eligible for a wrestling scholarship, but were his
grades good enough? The future was pounding on his door and Greg was not
quite sure yet how to answer. So, while his family slept, Greg got out
of bed, took down the shotgun from his bedroom wall, placed it under his
chin, and pulled the trigger. 

Eleven and a half years later, DeWall stood on the podium at the 2008
Paralympic Games in Beijing, China and accepted the bronze medal in judo
for the United States. DeWall, now totally blind as a result of his
self-inflicted gunshot injury, had competed in the over 100kg division
and was the only member of the US Paralympic judo team to come home with
a medal. 

Judo, a grappling martial art invented in Japan, is one of the most
popular sports among blind athletes throughout the world and is also one
of the few sports in which blind athletes can compete against sighted
athletes at the highest levels with almost no adaptations or
accommodations. Judo has been a part of the Paralympic Summer Games
since 1988 and several blind judoka (judo players) have been nationally
ranked alongside their sighted peers. 

Stacy Cervenka recently sat down with DeWall and talked to him about
judo, blindness, and his unique journey from that life-changing moment
almost 12 years ago to his life-changing moment in Beijing and his life
today as a successful athlete and college student. 

  
Q: Tell us about your life before your injury. What sports did you play?


A: I have found it easiest to describe myself as the all-American boy.
Growing up in a blue collar home with an older brother and younger
sister, my parents were always trying to make ends meet. As kids,
though, we never felt like we went without. 

My brother and I participated in athletics year round. I was involved in
a half dozen different sports prior to high school. As a freshman at
Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, California, I needed to narrow
down my sports of choice. I chose to focus on wrestling, baseball, and
football. 

My free time was usually spent fishing and hunting with my brother or
friend, Ryan. Another extracurricular activity I was involved in was 4H.
For ten years or more, I raised lambs and hogs for market. At the end of
a five month period with these animals, we would show them at the local
fair and then put them up for sale at the livestock auction. 

Q: Describe the events that led up to your suicide attempt. 

A: As a senior in high school, I was very confused and often felt lost.
Looking back on it now, it is easy to say that all the problems I had
were good problems to have. I felt a lot of pressure from different
angles. I was a successful wrestler who was expected to repeat as
section champion and qualify for the state tournament. My father was
constantly talking to me about the military. My mother and others were
regularly asking me about college and what I wanted to do after high
school. During this time, I was also trying to get my grades up. 

I spent the day of my suicide attempt like any normal weekend. I was
seventeen; it was three weeks short of my eighteenth birthday. I went
duck hunting that morning and then played some softball in the afternoon
with my dad and girlfriend. I followed that up with a nice dinner with
my girlfriend. That night, something changed. I lay in bed for hours
wrestling with self-doubt and fear. The airport lights behind the house
would blink through my bedroom window. With the blinking lights, I could
see all my medals and awards from the sports I had participated in over
the past four years. I remember thinking, this all means nothing. In May
when I graduate, all these achievements and successes will mean nothing.
I had no idea at that moment what I was going to do with my future after
high school. I had plenty of options; I knew that. I was so confused
that I was afraid to choose one. On an impulse, I got out of bed and
grabbed my shot-gun from the wall. It took less than thirty seconds from
the original thought of doing it to actually pulling the trigger. 

Q: Tell us about the events immediately after the gunshot. When did you
realize that you were never going to regain your eyesight and that you
were going to remain blind? How did this affect you? 

A: Unfortunately, my mother and sister were home when I pulled the
trigger. My mom found me in my room hunched over with my faceless head
in my hands. When the paramedics arrived, they informed me that the
stretcher would not fit down the hall. I was asked if I was able to
walk. So I did. 

I spent six weeks in the hospital originally. During this time, many
tests were run. I knew shortly into my hospital stay that, because my
optic nerves were destroyed, I would never regain vision in either eye.
Accepting blindness came quickly. It was the adjusting that was hard. 

My parents didn't waste any time when it came to helping me adjust. The
day after I returned home from the hospital, my father put a ceiling fan
in front of me and told me to put it together. 

Q: Besides blindness, what other complications resulted from the
gunshot? 

A: The blindness has actually been the least of my issues as a result of
my attempt. I suffered major damage and disfiguration of my face. I have
had to undergo over a dozen reconstructive surgeries so far. The most
significant thing I deal with is my speech trouble. Until my oral cavity
is completely reconstructed, my speech will never sound like it did
before the injury. 

Q: Before you took up judo, did you think blind people could participate
in sports? If so, what sports did you do as a blind person prior to
joining the judo club? 

A: I had heard mentioned a few sports that had blind competitors or even
sports that were designed for the blind. I had never pursued any of
these sports, however. The Chico area doesn't have a large enough blind
community to have organized blind athletic events. Before becoming a
part of the United States Association of Blind Athletes and
participating in judo, I wrestled in junior college and wake-boarded. I
still do a lot of wake-boarding and water-skiing today. 

Q: When and why did you take up judo? 

A: I took up judo because I was overweight. During a visit to my doctor,
I shared with him that I wanted to lose weight and that I was looking
for an aerobic activity. He was a former judo player and knew that it
was a blind friendly sport. He suggested judo and I signed up for
classes that day at Haley's Martial Arts Center. Judo started as a
recreation activity for me. It eventually evolved into competition. 

Q: How did your sensei and the other students react to having a blind
classmate when you first started? Has this changed and, if so, how? 

A: Coach Carl Tenckhoff was the head coach of the Chico Judo Club and he
was uncertain about having me there in the beginning. 

Coach Jason Parks took me one on one and was convinced that I could
learn judo. In a short time, I had the class convinced that I could
practice with them and that I belonged. 

With my recent success, the members of the club know now that not only
I, but other blind folks, can be successful with judo. 

Q: What are some alternative techniques that you use as a blind person
to learn the throws, holds, etc? 

A: It is always hard to stand there while the coach is verbally
describing a move. Often I get lost in the translation. Whenever it is a
smaller class, it is beneficial for the blind student to receive some
one on one time from the coach. More often then not, I get matched up
with an experienced judo player for practice. It always helps to work
with someone who is comfortable with the move being practiced as well as
confident with it. Usually my partner is able to tell me when I am doing
something wrong and instruct me on how to correct it. Hands on learning
is really the most efficient tool for teaching judo to a blind athlete. 

Q: How did you become a member of the US Blind Judo Team? 

A: I was participating at only my fourth tournament in San Jose. I was
still a white belt at the time. Members and staff of the United States
Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) were present and witnessed me win
my division with a record of 4 wins, 0 losses. Mark Lucas, the Executive
Director of the USABA, approached me later about being the heavy-weight
on the blind judo team. 

I was hesitant at first. After talking with a couple of coaches and
staff for the USABA, I had decided to give it a chance. 

Q: How did you qualify for the Paralympics? 

A: Two years prior to the Paralympic Games, qualifying tournaments
begin. According to your respective finish at each of these
international tournaments, you earn points. These points will then add
up through the duration of the international tournaments prior to the
Paralympics. The World Championships the year before the Paralympics is
an exception. You still earn points based on your finish, which
ultimately will help improve your ranking, but if you finish sixth or
better, you automatically qualify the weight class for your country. If
an athlete does not finish in the top six, he or she then must rely on
the points earned up to the date to get invited to the Paralympic Games.


Since I was the new guy and had not yet competed in an international
tournament, I had no points to back me up should I not qualify at the
World Championships last year in Sao Paulo, Brazil. With a lot of luck
on my side and my "refuse to lose" attitude, I squeaked out a fifth
place finish. I followed up that tournament with a 2nd place finish at
the Para-Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Q: How and where did you train for the Paralympics? 

A: As I mentioned earlier, I started judo with the Chico Judo Club of
Haley's Martial Arts Center. Eight months before leaving for China, I
temporarily relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area to train six days a
week. The coach of the Paralympic team, Raul Tamayo, is also the coach
at Stanford University. Four days a week we would train there. Raul runs
a very intense and productive practice. He will never let you cut
corners and makes sure you are doing the move right before moving on.
The other two days a week, we would practice at Cahill's Judo Academy in
San Bruno, California, under legendary coach Willy Cahill, who has
coached many, many Olympic and Paralympic athletes. Cahill's is another
atmosphere all together. After a solid thirty minute warm up, it is
sixty minutes of fighting. I would usually spend fifty minutes picking
myself up off the floor after being thrown around by currently ranked
judo players as well as former Olympians. The other ten minutes, I would
spend sucking down water. 

Sunday was our only day off, as long as we didn't have a tournament. 

Q: Tell us about your time at the Paralympics. 

A: We spent a few days in Colorado Springs at the Olympic Training
Center before leaving for China, so when we got there, I didn't feel
anything other then tired and hungry. Fortunately, we had been up for
hours and we arrived in time to eat dinner and go to bed soon
thereafter. When I woke up the next morning and realized I was waking up
in the Olympic Village, it gave me goose bumps. The magnitude of why I
was there began to set in at that moment. That has no comparison to how
I felt the evening prior to competition day. 

The evening before my day to compete was the worst hurricane of emotions
I never want to experience again. I felt lost at see as the world seemed
to spin around me. I couldn't tell you what I was thinking about,
because I couldn't string a thought or a sentence together in the
condition I was in. Finally, I made it to my room after forcing down my
dinner. While listening to music, I must have drifted off to sleep. Next
thing I knew, it was time to wake up and go weigh in for the
competition. Like it had never happened, the nerves and the storm of
emotions were gone. I was ready to fight! 

Another memory I will take away from these games is pinning the Cuban
judoka, Jargaliny Jimenez. He was the reigning world champion and I took
him down in the first round. Secondly, I'll always remember hearing my
name announced over the loud speaker as a representative of the United
States of America. Finally, and most importantly, my family was there to
witness it. It was special to have them all in China with me on that
day. 

Q: Has your perception of blindness and disability changed since your
own injury and if so, how? 

A: I can't say that I ever had a perception of blind people. So I don't
know that it would have changed. My perception now though is that we are
underestimated. I have learned over the years that, like all human
beings, we do have limits, but all the successful blind people I've come
in contact with have succeeded because they've pushed their limits and
eliminated these limits by being resourceful and knowing how to
improvise. As technology advances, there are going to be less and less
limitations for people who are blind. Also, with the movement towards
inclusion in our public schools, more of the general public will become
educated and exposed to not only blind students, but students with
various physical disabilities. 

Q: What do you feel you've learned on your journey from the night of the
gunshot to the Paralympics? 

A: As far as learning to deal with my emotions, I have learned to wait
another day. You really don't know how good the highs feel if you don't
experience the lows along with them. So wait another day. If today was
so bad that life seems unbearable, tomorrow could change things. 

As far as what I have learned about myself, I learned I am mentally
strong enough to do what it takes. There are so many opportunities in
life to just give up. Well, that's what I did twelve years ago. I slowly
have been getting my life back in order and am now a senior at Chico
State University, where I'm majoring in Recreation Administration. At a
major junction in my life, I was offered a mountain to climb. At the top
of this mountain was the Paralympic podium. To reach the top would take
many sacrifices. I had no doubt my body could handle the challenge. My
mental strength, on the other hand, was in question. I needed to know
that two thirds of the way my mind would not quit on me. 

I remember five or six months into my training, I doubted what I was
doing and why I was doing it. Always in the back of my mind, I could
hear myself saying, quitting is not an option. I soon got over that hump
and was able to coast right in to the Paralympic games probably at my
peak. 

My short judo career is something I chose to do to improve my life.
Without sounding selfish, I chose to climb that mountain for myself. I
did not do it by myself. But I needed to climb that mountain. I needed
to know for myself that I could handle what it would take to not only
go, but to be victorious. I proved to myself that I can handle it. 

Q: What are your future athletic goals? 

A: Right now, the Paralympic Games in London in 2012 are on the
calendar. My mother and sister really loved traveling to Beijing and say
they could get used to all this international travel! They tell me I
don't have a choice. We are going to London and I am the reason why. The
next twelve months are going to be taken easy though. I put my life on
hold to prepare and qualify for the Games. I have some time to make up
for. Finishing my degree is at the top of my list. 

Q: What are your future goals outside of athletics? 

A: As I mentioned, finishing my degree in Recreation Administration at
Chico State University is at the top of my list. In the next year or so,
I hope to complete my internship and then look for employment. With that
being said, judo will definitely influence where I start my professional
career. Ultimately, the next year or more will be dedicated to education
and vocation. 

Q: Where would you like to see yourself ten years from now? 

A: This is probably the hardest question yet! All I know now is that I
want to help people. I know that it is what I will be doing in ten
years. On what stage though, I don't know. I'm interested in working on
military bases with the spouses and children of deployed soldiers or
possibly in the prison system with the incarcerated population or
perhaps with children with disabilities or chronic illnesses. I've
worked managing the weight room at a Boys and Girls Club and I also
teach kids' judo classes several days a week. I find that working with
kids can be very rewarding. Kids tend to help you as much as you help
them. 

Q: What advice would you give to other blind people who are interested
in taking up judo? 

A: Judo is a very rewarding recreational activity as well as a
competitive sport. I would recommend judo even if a person was only
interested in exercise and self-defense. It will significantly improve
your agility and self confidence. Those who want to take it to the next
level and train for competition will find that judo is still rewarding.
It just takes another level of commitment and discipline 

Whether you are getting involved for recreational purposes or to
compete, experiment with as many dojos and coaches as you can find.
Don't waste your time with a coach or a club that is not going to give
you the benefit of the doubt and work with you. 

Also, don't get discouraged in the beginning. A lot of people without
disabilities don't last two weeks in judo, because it is hard. So, don't
think that the reason you're not getting something right away is because
you're blind. Judo is a rough combat sport. Even the black belts still
practice the basics. So don't be like those people without disabilities
who only last two weeks. Have patience and believe that, with time and
practice, you will get it. 

Greg is willing to give advice to anyone who is interested in taking up
judo. Feel free to contact him with questions on how and where to get
started, the various alternative techniques used by blind judoka, and
how to get involved with the United States Association of Blind
Athletes' judo program. 





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DREAM BIG, WORK HARD, ACHIEVE!
By Jessica Lorenz 
I recently returned from Beijing where I competed in the second largest
sporting event in the world, the 2008 Paralympics. Paralympic athletes
include people who are blind, amputees, people who have cerebral palsy,
people who use wheelchairs and people with dwarfism. The Paralympics
does not include individuals with intellectual disabilities. 

The first Paralympics was held in Rome in 1960 and included 400
athletes. The 2008 Beijing Games included 4200 athletes representing 147
countries. The 2008 Paralympic delegation from the United States
included 213 athletes, 24 of whom were visually impaired. But most
importantly, the Paralympic games is about athletes, not disability. 

I am a member of the USA Women's Goalball team that won gold in Beijing.
I am only starting to realize the meaning of winning a gold medal; as
days go by the meaning continues to sink in. My Paralympic experience
taught me how to dream big and to work hard. I spent years getting up
early, working out, eating right, teaching myself mental relaxation and
focusing techniques, fine tuning my game and going to the gym or
training camps rather than to parties or on vacations. My entire being
was dedicated to one express purpose, winning gold. I worked towards
this goal with greater tenacity than I have dedicated to anything else
in my life. Each time I would struggle to fit in a work out I would
think about winning the gold. When I had a bad practice I would re-play
my mistakes in my head in order to correct them through either strength
conditioning or by changing my body mechanics. 

I put in 100 hours on the court in the last year simply doing drills
designed to improve my footwork. Add to that another 400 hours actually
playing the game- and you get a lot of time spent on a goalball court.
One of the most important aspects of my game is my speed and my cardio
vascular conditioning. My Body Mass Index is very low and my VO2 max
very high. Not only do I run a lot, but I have been regularly tested to
make sure that I am constantly improving. I pushed myself in ways I
never had to in order to get to Beijing and come home with the medal I
planned to come home with around my neck. 

The Paralympics is nothing like competing in sports for folks with
disabilities in the United States. In China we played in front of a
standing room only crowd of 6000 spectators- which was rather remarkable
all in and of itself! During the 96 Atlanta games the final games
attracted less than 500 spectators. Think of the atmosphere of a
division one basketball game- those were the competition conditions in
Beijing- it was lots of fun! 

I did not feel quite prepared for the mayhem that occurs directly
following a gold medal win. Two of my teammates were immediately taken
for drug testing after our game. There is a limited amount of time to go
and change into the medal attire. There were 100 or so other players
from other countries who were in the athletes section of the venue
congratulating us and posing for photos. We had a press conference with
the Chinese team. The press conference was full of drama- including a
protest of the game by the Chinese coach; all of this in the 45 minutes
between the final game and the medal ceremony. 

All of China's teams played hard. They have really helped to raise the
bar in women's goalball and I am honored to have competed against them.
Going into the gold medal game the USA had two tie games and one loss
where as China was undefeated. The competition venue Was state of the
art and my Paralympic experience has given me a great deal of respect
for China's Paralympic training program. The Chinese have a Paralympic
training center that dedicates two courts exclusively to the goalball
program. China's men won gold and their women battled it out with the
USA to take the silver in their Paralympic debut 

Nothing is like standing on that medal podium and hearing our national
anthem play. As I touched the medal for the first time, I was keenly
aware of how many people touched part of this dream. Behind every
athlete is a partner, friends, family, co-workers and coaches- I happen
to have the best of all of these supporting me. 

One oddity with having all visually impaired people on the podium was
our challenge in finding the appropriate direction to gaze in to show
the flag our respect. One of our players spotted it though- so there we
were, right hands on heart, singing along, most of us with tears in our
eyes- for all the world to see that the USA has the best woman's
goalball team in the world. 

I know what it feels like to be the best in the world at something and I
had the honor of playing with some amazing women on the USA team. One of
the interesting things about this particular team is its depth of
talent- each of us bring very different gifts to the game. I keep the
ball from going into the net- so I need to be quick and cardiovascularly
fit. I depend on some of my teammates to have big muscles so that they
can throw the ball through our opponent's defensive line up. Each player
on the USA Women's Team dedicated their lives to gold in preparation for
these games. Gold was our collective dream- not unlike equality of
opportunity is the collective dream for many of us who are blind. The
USA Woman's Goalball team came home with gold. I believe that hard work
and our collective dream of gold are what brought this team to the top
of the podium. 

My message to all: Dream big. Work hard. Achieve! 





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A FEW NOTES ABOUT TANDEM BICYCLES, By Ron Burzese 
 
Ever since I was a little guy, my recreational activity of choice has
always been riding my bike. I have been on 2 wheels since the age of 7.
I have been riding more serious, road bikes on 60-mile club rides since
the age of 13. For years, I took real chances, riding my single bike
with limited eyesight. Thankfully, I am here to warn some of you against
this practice. I was 26 when I attended the Louisiana Center for the
Blind, where I came to grips with my ever apparent blindness, from
Retinitis Pigmentosa. At the age of 29, I purchased my first tandem
bicycle and truly returned to my life sport, only this time, without the
guilt. I had always thought that I would lose much of why I loved the
sport by riding on the back of a tandem. Once I tried it, however, I
realized just how much I was missing by trying to fake it on a single
bike. 

Cycling is one of the best forms of exercise out there. It is low
impact, aerobic, and social. Depending on how you are riding, you can
burn 400 to 1,000 calories per hour. It can actually be therapeutic for
many medical problems and preventative for many others. Best of all, you
can be meeting new friends or catching up with old ones as you ride. My
favorite rides are when 20 or 30 miles go by and I do not even realize
it. I am just having a great time with my friends, out in the fresh air.


Not only do I enjoy riding tandems, I like working on them. I also love
introducing cycling to new riders. Here, I have put together some brief
thoughts to hopefully entice you into trying out tandem cycling. I will
include my contact information, if you need further assistance. Please
feel free to contact me. 

I categorized tandem bicycles into 3 basic levels: entry-level,
sport/recreational, and advanced. My first tandem was an advanced model.
I had already been a cyclist in the past and knew what to expect. That
said, it took me over a year to write that check. Once I did, I wished I
had done it 10 years earlier. 

If you just want to ride around the neighborhood, you can purchase an
entry level tandem. These usually cost around $600 to $800 brand new.
You can possibly find them used on the web for 200 to $400. They are
less expensive, because of mass production overseas, from relatively
inexpensive materials. Because these materials are heavier, the tandem
will not be as responsive, especially when riding up a hill. They also
may not be as reliable as a more expensive tandem. However, if speed or
efficiency is not the goal, then you may be happy with this level. Take
note that these tandems are often referred to as cruiser or comfort
tandems. They have 26 inch mountain bike style tires, higher handlebars,
and bigger saddles, often with springs. The tires are wider and ride
smoothly on the road, but offer greater stability on trails and rough
pavement. The versatility is an advantage here. Because of a more
upright riding posture and only one position for your hands, these bikes
are only good for an average distance of 25 miles, or two hours of
riding. You can squeeze a longer day out of them occasionally, if you
are feeling fit. However, if you ride it more frequently, you may want
to graduate to the next level. Raleigh, KHS, Crestline, and Univega are
some examples of great, entry-level bikes. Wal-Mart may have a tandem
for around $300, but I have no experience with it. If you want one,
contact me and I will check one out to give you my opinions. If you are
considering participation in triathlons, I'd skip this segment
altogether. 

The next level up is what I would call the middle class enduro and road
tandem. New, these bikes cost about $1,000 to $2,500. They are made by
Burley, Cannondale, Trek, Raleigh, Fuji, and other brands. Enduro means
that you can use it on or off the pavement, depending on the chosen
tires. You might be wondering what you get for the extra money? It is a
good question to ask, and the answer is simple--a lighter frame and
components. When I say lighter, I mean the average bike in this category
is about 10 to 15 pounds lighter. You will notice a better ride and a
more efficient transfer of power from your legs to the wheels. Simply
put, a better experience of what cycling really can be. They may have
wider, mountain tires, or skinnier, road style wheels, which are 700c,
(metric for 27 inch). The skinnier tires are more specific to road
riding, though they can handle some off-road paths with careful riding.
These bikes are better equipped for actually riding a 25-60 mile ride.
They will shift and brake better, run quieter, and invite you to ride
more with a bike club. A road bike is marked by the ram-style handlebar.
The object here is to not necessarily get you down lower, but offer more
hand positions for comfort on longer rides. Let me say here that as your
fitness improves, you may come to prefer riding in a less upright
position. When you lean forward, you actually feel more stable and take
more weight off the saddle as you ride. These bikes have faster tires
that require more air pressure. A bike I like in this price range is the
Raleigh Pursuit. At $1,350 to $1,500, it is a great value for a bike
that I would even race. It is no longer made, but dealers may still have
them in stock. 

The third level of tandem bikes is worth mentioning here because you may
come across them on the market, used, for the same price as the
mid-priced bikes I just described. They generally cost $2,500 to $4,000
and higher. They are made by tandem specific companies like Co-Motion,
Burley, Santana and include higher end Treks and Cannondales. These
bikes have still lighter, aluminum frames with often faster wheels. A
noteworthy bike in this segment is the Co-Motion PeriScope. If I had to
do it over again, I might very well buy one of these. For a blind
person, who may ride with pilots of a variety of statures, this bike
offers you such versatility. For example, you can ride it with a 5'2"
woman in the front for one ride, and then, the same bike can be ridden
with a 6'3" man. I am just giving a rough guess here. I currently have
two road tandems, one for tall riders and one for smaller ones. If I had
a PeriScope, I could get by with one bike that can even be raced. This
bike starts at $3,000, but if you are planning to grow into cycling,
then consider it an investment in your health and social life. 

A few general notes to consider when purchasing a tandem. Make sure the
bike fits you well. This is more important for the captain, or pilot up
front. The back seat of a tandem can fit a wider range of riders. Also,
before you spend good money to upgrade the saddles, first, upgrade your
rear end by riding the bike for more frequent, but shorter rides. Your
body simply needs time to adjust to the new activity. Usually, the
softer, more comfortable saddles become less comfortable as the ride
progresses. This is because your sit bones sink into the soft saddle.
This will put pressure on the surrounding soft tissue, which is not
meant to bare your weight. 

Also, you do not need an expensive tandem to attract pilots. If that
were the case, I would not want to ride with such people. It may have
been a passing joke, but I want to stop the myth before it becomes
legend. If you are riding on the road with a group, you may want to get
a road tandem to better deal with the distances and speeds. For a
tandem, though, there is of course two people to help keep up with the
single bikes, so focus on the motors, too. 

Most modern tandems are 24 speed or higher. If you get a 21 speed, or a
30 speed, it will not matter. If you plan to ride a lot, I'd be careful
about buying a tandem older than 1998. Some standards came into vogue
around that time that may make upgrading easier. 

A lesser priced tandem may be a great way to gain experience. As you
grow as a rider, or a team, you can sell it and move up to the next
level. Tandems usually hold their value pretty well. 

For more reading, check out: 

The Tandem Link Info 
Precision Tandems 
Tandem Magazine 
Any other questions, feel free to contact me at my email address or by
phone at 512-419-1372. 





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Did you recently read a cool news article about a blind athlete? Do you
have your own sports story to share? If so, write it down and send it to
us! It might just end up in a future issue of the Competition Corner! 





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FETA-SPINACH SALMON ROST
Submitted By Lisamaria Martinez
Editor's Note. I have tried this delectable dish and I love it! For
those who distaste salmon, try the recipe with boneless skinless chicken
breast. If they are thin, bake for approximately 30 minutes. If they are
thicker chicken breasts, bake for approximately 40 minutes. Always check
to be sure the meat is cooked. The chicken version is just as
magalicious. 

I found this tasty recipe one day from a book downloaded from
Bookshare.org. The book is called, 500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes
from Snacks to Dessert that the Whole Family Will Love, by Dana
Carpender. My husband and I love this delicious dish! Try it and you'll
fall in love too. 

INGREDIENTS 

3 ounces cream cheese, softened 
3/4 cup crumbled feta 
1/2 cup spinach, chopped 
1/4 cup green onion, if desired 
2 skinless salmon fillets, roughly same size and shape equaling 0.75
pounds 
Olive oil 
DIRECTIONS 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Combine the cream cheese and feta, mashing and stirring with a fork
until well blended. Add green onions and spinach. Combine well. 
Spread the mixture evenly over one salmon fillet. Top with second
fillet. Brush both sides of the fillet with olive oil. 
Place loaf on shallow baking pan and bake for 20 minutes. 
Yield: 2 servings, each with 5 grams of carbs, a trace of fiber, and 45
grams of protein. 





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Don't forget to join the Sports and Recreation Division. For questions
about joining please contact Lisamaria Martinez, president, for more
details. You may also join our listserv by simply going to
www.nfbnet.org and clicking on the link "Join or Drop NFBnet Mailing
Lists." 

Thanks for reading COMPETITION CORNER!