Competition Journal

NBC Sports to Broadcast
2008 Paralympic Games Documentary

NBC Sports will air a 90-minute documentary about the 2008 Paralympic Games on Sunday, November 9,
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET. (1:30 PM CST -- IL folks: Channel 10 (WAND TV) MA folks, I cant tell from the local listings, check the paper or the guide)

Additionally, Universal Sports Network will air 4-hour Paralympic Games programs each night, November 10-16, 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. ET. This is Channel 251 in Chicago area networks. Unfortunately, USN is not available in Champaign or MA to the best of my knowledge.

PLEASE tune in to watch. It took a lot of effort to get this little coverage of the Paralympics, and in order to push for more future coverage we need to show that people actually did watch. THANKS!!!

I am now able to post pictures... the link to my abbreviated album is: here.

It has been about 2 weeks since returning from the games. It's pretty hard to believe. And what a busy two weeks it has been. I came back to IL briefly to drop off equipment and check the mail and then got on a plane again to head home to Massachusetts. I figured going home to rest was in order.

Home was relaxing and it was exciting to talk to folks about my Beijing experiences. To me, the highlights were being out in the Bird's Nest the night of the relay in front of a sold out stadium. To feel the energy and the enthusiasm and to recognize that they were all there for us. That was pretty cool, and so hard to describe to other people.

I was able to spend some time with the 5th graders at Fred Miller elementary school in Holliston where my mother teaches. This is probably my favorite part so far of returning from the Paralympics. To be able to talk to kids and watch them get wide-eyed in amazement and for me to help them to realize that they too can achieve their dreams.

The last night I was home, there was a reception for myself and Andy Wise co-sponsored by Eliot Healthcare Center and the Metrowest Center for Independent Living. It was a wonderful event. I was grateful to reconnect with many old friends, friends of friends and to meet new supporters. A special thanks to Ann Lynch for organizing everything. Another special thing that evening was our state representative, David Linsky came to the event and presented both Andy and I with official certificates from the Commonwealth congratulating us on our athletic success in Beijing and for representing the Commonwealth of Massachusetts so well overseas. It was quite the honor!

I'm coming home with a second bronze medal in the 4x100m relay!

The women’s 4x100m relay team (T53/54) also found success in its relay, winning bronze with a final time of 1:02.1. As a team, we had little practice time together prior to the event, but managed to shave off three seconds between training and race day.

All in all, a very successful Games experience! I could not be happier.

Greetings from Beijing!

I did not fare as well as I had hoped in the 100m final, but that's okay. It's part of sports. You win some, you lose some. Friday just wasn't my day. But, it was an exciting race. Our classification has a new world record now. It is very exciting for the sport that there are so many strong sprinters now in my classification.

Yesterday I spent the day recovering and relaxing with my family. We went out for a Peking Duck dinner. I hit the sack early and got up this morning to tackle the track once again for the 200m prelim. It went very well, I was happy with the result. I finished second in my heat and ended up 4th overall. Tomorrow morning at 10:30 am Beijing time I will race in the 200m final. I'm looking forward to the race and am in great spirits. Will write again soon.

I wish I had more time to write a complete entry here, but I have to get to bed to rest up for tomorrow. Last night I ran the best 400m of my life so far... I ran a personal best by more than 2 seconds and captured the bronze medal! Tomorrow is my final for the 100m. I'll write more soon.

The time is here! Tomorrow is officially race day! I'm so excited. My equipment is all ready to go, I am ready to go. The only thing left between now and when the starting gun goes off is a good nights sleep, and a couple meals! Thank you for all the good luck wishes! Tomorrow night is the 400m prelim. Check it out online!

I arrived today in Beijing. Look for some email updates soon.

Sorry for the delay in posting... These past 10 days have truly flown by. I cannot tell you how grateful we all are to the folks here at Kadena Air Force Base for having us here. There is not a single complaint I can think of. We were fed extremely well, our rooms were excellent, we have become acclimated to the weather and timezone and most of all we have all made friends and connections with our sponsor families and many other individuals affiliated with the military.

Training has gone very well for me this week. It is always fun to get the opportunity to train with people who you don't see regularly. We held our relay selection trials, and I am excited to share that will be running in both the preliminary round and the final round of the women's 4x100m relay. I had the chance to explore some of Okinawa while I was here. Some highlights included bonding with my sponsor family and eating out at a marvelous mom-pop type fish restaurant, riding the ferris wheel that overlooks Okinawa, going up in a Cessna to see the entire island from 1000 feet up, seeing the whale-sharks at the aquarium, swimming in the ocean, teaching local middle school kids about what a racing wheelchair is and how it works and of course laughing and having fun with teammates.

I cannot believe the day is here where I can officially say that I am going to Beijing tomorrow! I'm ready to get there and to begin competition. I cannot wait to share more news once I arrive in Beijing tomorrow. Until then, it's off to bed!

Press release from the IPC:
Bonn, Germany - Universal Sports, a multiplatform destination for amateur sports programming throughout the year which is co-owned by NBC Universal and InterMedia Partners, the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee (BOCOG) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced today an agreement to provide the first-ever multiplatform broadcast coverage of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, presented by GE in the United States.

The groundbreaking broadcast will premiere on 6 September on
UniversalSports.com and 8 October on Universal Sports TV, followed by a
special presentation of the events on NBC 18 October.
Universal Sports TV broadcast of the 2008 Paralympic Games will start on 8 October, followed by at least seven days of three hour segments of coverage.

The Paralympic Games will be available in the United States from 6 to 17
September with daily live and delayed highlight shows on UniversalSports.com. Daily video highlights will also be available at the official site of the US Paralympic Team. Beginning in 2009, the US Olympic Network will re-air portions of the 2008 Paralympic Games.
Broadcast presenting title sponsor GE and associate sponsor VISA will provide branded promotions during the Paralympic Games with integrated media placements on Universal Sports TV and their website.
The Paralympic Games are an elite sporting event for accomplished athletic champions spanning different disability groups. Emphasizing the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality, the Paralympic Games showcase participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability in a variety of competitions including Athletics, Swimming, Equestrian, Wheelchair Basketball, plus many more. In Beijing, a total of 4,000 athletes from around 150 countries will be competing in 20 sports.

As promised-- here is my "daily" update from Japan. We arrived safe and sound into Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. Now I have had two full days on the base and have all kinds of little things to report from here in mini-America.

Let's start at the beginning... we had some drama leaving Champaign and attempting to get to Colorado Springs. We were set up to take a shuttle from Champaign to O'Hare airport... six of us with a months supply of luggage, 6 racing chair boxes...6 everyday chairs etc. The shuttle pulled up at DRES just fine at 4 AM with...a mini-trailer. Not the one we had hand picked. Drama #1. Can we fit? Well, I'll have you know that we are some expert packers and managed to fit all of our stuff, bodies, and wheelchairs into this van and mini-trailer. But wait, we had to pick up another passenger. No big deal, we can sit three to a seat, the back seat was filled with everyday chairs, the front bench seat was filled with a racing chair box that wouldn't fit in the mini-trailer and the lone passenger can have the front seat. No biggie. Drama averted.

But wait, there are two more passengers to pick up --- even though we were supposed to have the shuttle to ourselves the way it was booked... Well, there's literally no more room in the van or trailer. The driver contacted his boss who does not quite fathom the volume of stuff or what the stuff is that we are transporting. There's about an hour of back and forth trying to figure out what to do. The initial result: we'll just drop this party of 6 with all this luggage off on the side of the road, because nobody should have that much stuff and the other passengers need to be picked up. Are you kidding me???? Nope. So we reluctantly started unloading, not at the same place where we had been picked up, on the side of the road at 5am. As we were just about done with the everyday chairs, the boss changed his mind and we were allowed to proceed to chicago.

The time is almost here for my departure to Colorado Springs for Team Processing before heading to Japan (for a training camp) and then on to Beijing! I cannot believe it is actually here.

Going to the Paralympics is something I have always dreamed about...for as long as I can remember. It is something that has always been on my horizon for a while, whether it was for skiing or for track, but the timing was just never right because of injuries, surgeries, life etc. The time is now, and I can't wait!

I am feeling great, feeling strong, feeling ready. With the support of friends, family, my coach, various doctors and teammates, I have accomplished so many great things. I know there's more to come soon, and I'm ready.

So, what does it take to achieve your goals? It takes passion, hard work, determination and sacrifice. Passion is something that is so hard to describe--it is loving something so much through the good, the bad, the laughter, the celebrations, the pain, the tears, the successes and the failures.

Thank you to absolutely everybody who has been a part of my life. I would not be able to reach my goals if it weren't for you all. Not a moment goes by that I don't stop and think about how blessed I have been to have such a great support system and people who always pushed me to reach new heights in whatever I was doing. Thank you.

Also, thank you for your continued support, and for believing in me. Together, with your support and my drive, I'm off to Beijing to be the best I can be.

I recently attended an event in Chicago in support of the 2016 bid. Chicago is a finalist right now in the selection process for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics. The other finalists are Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid. At the event, I had the opportunity to meet many current and former Olympians and Paralympians. Prior to the evening show, I spent some time talking with Dominique Moceanu, Olympic gold medalists in gymnastics. It was great to exchange stories and hear about everything she has been up to lately. I was also touched by her lifelong commitment to bettering the world and making a difference.

The event was truly exciting to see how much energy the 2016 folks all have and how dedicated they are both to the Olympic and Paralympic movement. I hope they get the bid!

I made the local paper again today... check out the article: here!

Thanks!

Check out tomorrow's (Sundays) Metrowest Daily News, there is supposed to be an article about me!

I'm headed to Beijing as part of Team USA!! More info to come later... Thanks for all your support!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is nice and hot here in Arizona. By hot I mean it was 112 today I believe.
The way this meet works: this is our one shot to hit our elite standards to make the team. It is more complicated than simply hitting your time, however. The United States has slots for 17 women to go to Beijing for Track and Field. They are allotted 3 spaces per classification per event. This number is predetermined based on last years results at World Championships. After each event, our times will be scored. The score is determined by taking (Elite Standard - Your Time ) / Elite Standard X 100. Then this creates a ranking list and then the 17 spots are filled based on that.

My races have been going well overall. I ran my 100m yesterday and ran a 17.83. I hit my elite standard for that race and finished in second behind my teammate Jessie. My 200m was this morning and it was a bit disappointing for me. I did not hit my elite standard, I ran a 31.82 and our standard is 31.37. My 400m prelim was excellent. I ran a 59.13 which I am very happy with. I finished second in my heat and have the final tonight.

My "Team Anjali" clan (my brother Ian, Courtney and her mom) arrived late last night and were at the track today cheering me on. They even have shirts! I am so grateful that they were able to come and support me for the event.

I am now off to rest and enjoy the air conditioning before having to go out again in a few hours. The team will be officially announced tomorrow night at the banquet.

I just finished packing and we head out early early tomorrow morning for trials. Tentatively, I will race the 100m on Friday (prelim and final), Saturday morning I will race a 200m final and a 400m prelim, Saturday evening 400m final. I will try my best to post results as quickly as possible, but just in case, I recommend checking: http://2008paralympictracktrials.com for up to date results.

The 2008 Paralympic Team that will be going to Beijing will be announced on Sunday evening. Thanks for all your support!

That's right folks! This Saturday, the June 7th Red Sox game against the Seattle Mariners I was asked to be a special guest and be on the field at Fenway for Paralympic Awareness Day/ Disability Awareness Day at the ballpark!!

So, the game starts at 3:55pm EST, but I will be a part of the "pre-game" festivities just before the first pitch. So tune in early for the game and perhaps you will see me on the field (it should be on FOX, check your local listings for the pre-game stuff)!! There will be 4 other paralympic hopefuls and also some individuals from international special olympics of Massachusetts. They will be reading a bio and having us march in following the US Paralympics banner onto the field and then they will light a mock Olympic torch. As we go down the third baseline our bios will be read and then we will line up behind homeplate for the national anthem (which will also be done in American Sign Language). Then the first pitch will be thrown (though not by me... bummer I know ;-) and then the game will begin!!!

I believe this game WILL be broadcast nationally on FOX according to the website.

I opted to bring my parents as guests to the game. I hope you'll all get a chance to tune in and at least say, hey I know her!

After that it's off to Arizona for US Paralympic Trials. I just wanted to let you all know about this neat opportunity that I have. I hope everything is going well with you and I look forward to sharing more info as the time comes in the upcoming weeks!

I started the day off in Ibach with the 100m. I ran a 17.59 which I was pretty happy with, I ended up in second behind Ilana who ran a 17.39. It was a good race, but for me I felt like it was just a warm up, I wasn't feeling that great going into it. The 400m was just after lunch and the first 200m and last 100m were super, the curve in the middle there was a headwind that hit me hard, but I made a good hustle to the finish line and finished second with a time of 1:02.24. My 200m was a spectacular race. I ran a 32.46 and was second behind a winning time of 32.34. The last 30m felt outstanding in particular, but I really felt like I nailed the start and wouldn't have changed a thing with how I ran it. It was nice to end the meet feeling happy with the race. And... my teammate Amanda McGrory got a new World Record in the women's 5000m!!! She broke her old world record by 10 seconds! Way to go Amanda!

In other news... I decided to run the half marathon tomorrow. I figured I'm in Switzerland, so why not? And, I hadn't realized that there was a half marathon in addition to the full. There are 12 women registered so it should be a good race, I'm looking forward to it.

I will say, I am looking forward to getting back to the states. My roommate Cheri described our time in Switzerland quite well... it's like being away at summer camp. For those of you who know me, you know how much I love being away at summer camp, but also how ready you are at the end to go back home. The people, the atmosphere, the camraderie is all fantastic, but you do reach a point where you're ready to go back. Though, when I return there won't be much of a break, I will have 18 days until leaving for US Trials (and a short trip back to Boston in there as well). So training will resume as usual....

Some things I've learned living in Switzerland now for a week or so... the Swiss are very punctual and like to follow their schedules. They are also very quiet. I've heard time and time again how loud Americans are, but you don't realize it until you are in a quiet culture and as an American you wonder what's going on and why is everybody so quiet?

These were two interesting factors that played a role in yesterdays track meet. First of all, we all loaded the buses, now when I mean we loaded the buses, picture three (?) large coach buses each pulling a trailer for equipment. Also picture that one of the three doesnt have a lift so we crawled onto the bus, hoped your wheelchair also made it on board and were on our way. We arrived and there was plenty of confusion as to where to pick up our number etc and we realized we were running late because of the time it took to load the buses. We weren't worried, thinking, well we are all late so we'll surely just start a bit later. No no, not true. So, we waited in a loooong line (to then realize we didn't have to wait in the line) to get our numbers. By the time I got in my racing chair it was 15 minutes until the start of the first race (my race was second). I normally need a minimum of 30-45 minutes for a good warm up before my races. I also decided though this was something beyond my control so I wasn't going to let it anger me or frustrate me, just go with the flow and know that I would make the best of the situation. So as I am warming up and focusing on my race, I get ushered off the track directly to the start line. No stopping in a call room or anything because it isn't set up yet, but by goodness they were going to start on time. That was a little odd. I'm not quite sure exactly the translation of the start commands, but its something Auf?!???!?!? Furrr and then the gun. So we were off, for my 100m.

It's 10:30pm here and I'm in bed and exhausted... but the results from today's track meet are:

100m - 17.76 and I finished in second place. It was a very exciting race. Three of us all finished 2 hundreths of a second away from each other... so first place was 17.74 Ilana Duff from Canada, I was second with 17.76 and Francesca from Italy was 17.78.

400m - 1:00.21 and I finished in second place behind my teammate Jessie who ran a 57.35

200m - 31.27 and I finished in first place.

More to come tomorrow!

Willkommen in der Switzerland! I arrived safe and sound to Switzerland, even after a 4 hour delay at Bloomington airport. Currently, I am unpacked and relaxing in my room with my teammate. We had gorgeous weather when we first arrived...and then the rain came. It looks like it's going to be a wet time here. I will try my best to keep my site posted, but just in case, the event website can be found here.

Stay tuned!

3 new PRs! I ran a 17.39 in the 100m so I beat my time from a couple weeks ago by a hundredth of a second. So the official results are:
100m: 17.39
200m: 31.12
400m: 58.21

Full results can be found here.

In other news, I got my new racing chair today! For anybody who uses a wheelchair, you all can relate that getting a new chair is bigger and better than Christmas. It's just so exciting. My chair fits perfectly, I'm so excited to try it out tomorrow in training. My only big decision now is which chair to bring with me overseas to Switzerland. I'm not going to fret too much about the decision though, I have until tomorrow to make the final call.

2 new PRs!!!!! I am excited to let you know that I ran a 31.12 in the 200m and finished 1st in all my races. I ran a 58.21 in the 400m and I'm not sure yet on my 100m time, I think it was 17.89 ish. Great meet, it was hot and humid. Now I am gearing up for the loooong drive back to IL tomorrow and then headed to Switzerland on Wednesday for two track meets.

More to follow later...