This past week has been very challenging for me. Not getting a tryout for the Developmental National Team was so gut wrenching it is beyond words. The reason it is so difficult for me is because I KNOW I would be an extremely valuable member of the team.
Unfortunately wheelchair rugby uses a system to classify hands that does not capture the true level of my impairment. All my muscles are still alive, but they don’t work the way they should. They are slow and clunky and get worse with physical exercise. There is nothing I can do to change this at the moment. It just stinks that I have to wait another two years of my physical prime to see some justice. I remind myself everyday to be thankful for God’s time and to not worry about my own.
In a weird way it has been a blessing in disguise. I have had so many people give me their support over the last week it has been incredible! The system is still very flawed, but the love I feel from the rugby world has never been greater.
One of my greatest supporters was Tom Vesco of Vesco Metal Craft. Tom sent me a great message of support and it was very touching to me. After playing one season of rugby in 2004-2005 I realized a used chair that didn’t fit was not going to cut it.
I called around to the different wheelchair companies and finally decided to get a Vesco. I was very nervous about getting a rugby chair because no one had ever built a chair for a cerebral palsy ball handler before in the United States. I was worried chair manufacturers wouldn’t realize I could feel my legs and they wouldn’t realize my legs are constantly jumping up and down out of my control.
Tom and Neil are very solutions oriented people. They suggested I just come out to the shop in San Diego and they would measure me for the chair themselves. My parents gave me my Christmas present three months early that year; I got a plane ticket from Chicago to San Diego.
Tom, Neil and I become a team in how to make me the best rugby chair. We made some assumptions, some were right, some were wrong, but that is what happens when you are trailblazers. Perfection was never the goal, positive growth was. We assumed I would be able to do things with my hands and trunk that I never was able to, but how were we supposed to know this at the time?
I promise making mistakes is one thousand times better then never trying. I look at my 26 inch wheels and wish I had the quick starting of 25 inch wheels. Because of my function loss in my hands I want to move to 25 inch tires, but that doesn’t make my 26 inch tires bad.
I’m proud of my 26 inch wheels because it is a symbol of my innovation and willingness to keep trying things despite barriers.
I was used to 26 inch tires from basketball. When I played college wheelchair basketball I had the worst hands in the league. If anyone touched the ball while I was holding it I was going to turn it over. The one thing I had going for me was my height.
I have long arms and could even block some high function players thanks to my wingspan. I was ALWAYS guarded by shorter players. So I learned to put the ball above my head with two arms that way no one could steal the ball from me. With 26 inch tires I was one inch taller. The way my basketball logic worked back then was all based on stable height. So many people were faster then me, I just didn’t want to cause turnovers the few times I got to touch the ball.
Pushing with 26 inch tires creates interesting advantages and disadvantages. It just seemed like the right thing for me to do to keep doing what I was doing while playing basketball.
I love rugby with all my heart, but it has not been easy. It has been and continues to be a roller coaster. It is nice to have someone to have my back through the twist and turns like the Vescos. I am venturing a guess that no one in rugby has as messed up feet as me that they CAN FULLY FEEL. This creates some interesting challenges and we are still figuring things out. I am currently on my third foot plate and the Vescos have never charged me an extra dime.
People, who know me, know that I am wired differently. I don’t see companies as companies, they are people. Red from Eagle is an excellent man and his son Tate is one of my favorite people in rugby, but I can only have one chair. I’ll keep blazing my trail in the chair with the yellow wheels.
Thanks for reading! Anything is possible!
Chris
Showing posts with label wheelchair basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wheelchair basketball. Show all posts
Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
My Favorite Team
Earlier in the week I wrote a piece for the Illinois Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team because they are preparing for their national championship competition this weekend. After they really liked what I wrote I decided to give something else a try. If you find this the least bit beneficial great, if you don’t like it just ignore it.
Looking back on my eleven years of basketball my favorite team to be a part of was the team when I was a freshman in college. We ended up winning the national championship that year, but that is not what made it my favorite team. What made it my favorite team was who we were and how we accomplished our goals. The University of Texas-Arlington had beaten us two out of three games during the regular season. The losses included a 50 point beat down (Missing several players from our team because of the Paralympics.) and only the second loss at Huff Hall in the Coach Frogley era.
They beat us in our place in February. What were we going to be able to change by March? I know we practiced harder in the weeks that followed, but the difference was marginal. Then the most intense week of practice I have ever been a part of occurred. Coach Frogley had us prepared in every way, but it was the players who decided to step up their preparation. I do not remember that week of preparation as stories. I remember it as a feeling; this intense certainty that we were going to win the game no matter what. We were set to overcome any obstacle; it was all about us. At 19 I thought this feeling was common. I now know it’s not. It’s something very special.
UTA shot 55% from the field that day. Illinois shot 63% and won the tenth championship in program history. I did not play in the game, but I was honored when my teammates decided that I should cut the first string of the net. When Coach Frogley cut down the final string it sunk in. With the net in hand, I realized we were champions! As Illinois goes for there 12th championship in program history, it makes me realize how blessed I am.
It also makes me realize how that is no longer my favorite team. My favorite team is the one I am currently on, the 2008-2009 Lakeshore Demolition!
I have found it is way harder to be a TEAM after college because of work and other life responsibilities, but we still figure out a way and this is because of the greatness of our coach Kevin Orr.
When you play for Kevin it’s not all about lollipops and rainbows. There have been times he has made me sad and times he has made me angry, but I know he loves me and all his players.
There would be no Lakeshore Demolition without Kevin Orr. He built our program on guts and determination. He had the courage to move over 700 miles away from his friends and family and over the years he built a dynasty from nothing.
I will ever be indebted to Kevin because he encouraged me to make the same 700 mile journey about fifteen years later after many were unable or unwilling to teach me the game because I had cerebral palsy.
Before I came to Birmingham I was the “most spastic player in college wheelchair basketball”. Over the course of two years, I became a wheelchair rugby player. I would not be a wheelchair rugby player without Kevin Orr. I would not be a writer if I wasn’t a rugby player first. I’ll let you do the math.
I enjoyed the other teams I have played with while I have been down here and really miss the friendship of Dan, Josh and Brandon, but this team has something special. The younger players have all stepped their games up while the veterans continue to give wisdom and perform consistently.
Kevin, Sulli, Bryan and Willard have been here since the beginning. They are legends for what they have created and are great examples of what is possible. Joel, Delvin and our newest player Kevin Kramer represent what is yet to come. With great athletes and great people anything is possible.
We begin our playoff run next week in Michigan and hope to continue it in Louisville in April. Our story has yet to be written, but I feel Lakeshore 2009 is more special then Illinois 2001. I love my team! I am hopeful we will find that feeling that Illinois 2001 possessed.
I wish everyone the best as the playoffs are going on this weekend and in subsequent weeks. I look forward to making my team better and wish everyone else the best of luck as they try to do the same.
Can I ask a favor? If you see fit could you please say a prayer for Illinois and Lakeshore. The power of positive energy is very real. I could have gone many places to play sports, but Illinois and Lakeshore gave me the courage to release myself from a net of fear and allow me to share my gifts with the world!
Thank You Frog, Thank You Kevin, Thank You Everyone!
Chris
Looking back on my eleven years of basketball my favorite team to be a part of was the team when I was a freshman in college. We ended up winning the national championship that year, but that is not what made it my favorite team. What made it my favorite team was who we were and how we accomplished our goals. The University of Texas-Arlington had beaten us two out of three games during the regular season. The losses included a 50 point beat down (Missing several players from our team because of the Paralympics.) and only the second loss at Huff Hall in the Coach Frogley era.
They beat us in our place in February. What were we going to be able to change by March? I know we practiced harder in the weeks that followed, but the difference was marginal. Then the most intense week of practice I have ever been a part of occurred. Coach Frogley had us prepared in every way, but it was the players who decided to step up their preparation. I do not remember that week of preparation as stories. I remember it as a feeling; this intense certainty that we were going to win the game no matter what. We were set to overcome any obstacle; it was all about us. At 19 I thought this feeling was common. I now know it’s not. It’s something very special.
UTA shot 55% from the field that day. Illinois shot 63% and won the tenth championship in program history. I did not play in the game, but I was honored when my teammates decided that I should cut the first string of the net. When Coach Frogley cut down the final string it sunk in. With the net in hand, I realized we were champions! As Illinois goes for there 12th championship in program history, it makes me realize how blessed I am.
It also makes me realize how that is no longer my favorite team. My favorite team is the one I am currently on, the 2008-2009 Lakeshore Demolition!
I have found it is way harder to be a TEAM after college because of work and other life responsibilities, but we still figure out a way and this is because of the greatness of our coach Kevin Orr.
When you play for Kevin it’s not all about lollipops and rainbows. There have been times he has made me sad and times he has made me angry, but I know he loves me and all his players.
There would be no Lakeshore Demolition without Kevin Orr. He built our program on guts and determination. He had the courage to move over 700 miles away from his friends and family and over the years he built a dynasty from nothing.
I will ever be indebted to Kevin because he encouraged me to make the same 700 mile journey about fifteen years later after many were unable or unwilling to teach me the game because I had cerebral palsy.
Before I came to Birmingham I was the “most spastic player in college wheelchair basketball”. Over the course of two years, I became a wheelchair rugby player. I would not be a wheelchair rugby player without Kevin Orr. I would not be a writer if I wasn’t a rugby player first. I’ll let you do the math.
I enjoyed the other teams I have played with while I have been down here and really miss the friendship of Dan, Josh and Brandon, but this team has something special. The younger players have all stepped their games up while the veterans continue to give wisdom and perform consistently.
Kevin, Sulli, Bryan and Willard have been here since the beginning. They are legends for what they have created and are great examples of what is possible. Joel, Delvin and our newest player Kevin Kramer represent what is yet to come. With great athletes and great people anything is possible.
We begin our playoff run next week in Michigan and hope to continue it in Louisville in April. Our story has yet to be written, but I feel Lakeshore 2009 is more special then Illinois 2001. I love my team! I am hopeful we will find that feeling that Illinois 2001 possessed.
I wish everyone the best as the playoffs are going on this weekend and in subsequent weeks. I look forward to making my team better and wish everyone else the best of luck as they try to do the same.
Can I ask a favor? If you see fit could you please say a prayer for Illinois and Lakeshore. The power of positive energy is very real. I could have gone many places to play sports, but Illinois and Lakeshore gave me the courage to release myself from a net of fear and allow me to share my gifts with the world!
Thank You Frog, Thank You Kevin, Thank You Everyone!
Chris
Friday, January 16, 2009
Lets Move Mountains
I have been trying to keep a list of all the different topics I would like to write about. My very creative title for it is “The List”. Even though “The List” is at record length right now I will not be addressing anything on it in this post.
This is because I was inspired today by a commercial that I saw for the first time today, which ran in Canada this summer. Aliant Commercial
It stars my friend Dave Durepos. I have been honored to call Dave a friend for the past eight plus years. He is a great player, but that's not the thing I admire most about him. I admire the journey he took to become great. Dave does not take no for an answer and he finds a way to make opportunities for himself.
Dave lives in a relatively isolated part of Canada where there are very few players close to his caliber. This means quite a bit of time alone in a gym practicing by himself. It was also hard for him to find games on the domestic level that are challenging for him. Dave found a way to get more playing time by rostering with American teams and sometimes taking up to three connecting flights to get to tournaments.
Dave will always have a special place in my heart for the way he mentored me in my late teens and early 20s. Dave understood life is a team sport before I could even fathom the concept. I know Dave led some cheers for me when he was sitting on the sidelines while I would get in during the final minutes of a game that had already been decided and all I would do is hit a layup.
Once during my sophomore year of college Dave and I were working at the same wheelchair basketball camp for junior players after not seeing each other for several months. During the breaks the counselors would scrimmage. We were on the same team for the first scrimmage of camp. After the scrimmage Dave came up to me and said you have improved A LOT!
The way that Dave said it I knew I had just crossed the line of being a good player in Dave's eyes. I did nothing special, I made a couple layups and set screens so Dave could do his thing from downtown, but Dave understands the power of positive talk and he instilled so much confidence in me.
Dave is not the only thing that is so inspiring about the commercial. The song that is playing in the background is called Believe by Suzie McNeil. I highly encourage everyone to check it out because it is one of the most inspiring songs I have heard in a long time. As the lyrics say “You can move mountains with dreams” and “You can get through almost anything if you just believe.”
Lets believe, have some fun and move those mountains so we can all get to our dreams!
Thanks to Aliant for bringing together the brilliant work of Dave and Suzie! It inspired me deeply.
I hope everyone has time to check out the commercial and the song. It is well worth it!
Thanks for reading
Chris
Please be sure to check out my new website chrisrathje.com Everything will be moving over there once I get word press blogging down.
This is because I was inspired today by a commercial that I saw for the first time today, which ran in Canada this summer. Aliant Commercial
It stars my friend Dave Durepos. I have been honored to call Dave a friend for the past eight plus years. He is a great player, but that's not the thing I admire most about him. I admire the journey he took to become great. Dave does not take no for an answer and he finds a way to make opportunities for himself.
Dave lives in a relatively isolated part of Canada where there are very few players close to his caliber. This means quite a bit of time alone in a gym practicing by himself. It was also hard for him to find games on the domestic level that are challenging for him. Dave found a way to get more playing time by rostering with American teams and sometimes taking up to three connecting flights to get to tournaments.
Dave will always have a special place in my heart for the way he mentored me in my late teens and early 20s. Dave understood life is a team sport before I could even fathom the concept. I know Dave led some cheers for me when he was sitting on the sidelines while I would get in during the final minutes of a game that had already been decided and all I would do is hit a layup.
Once during my sophomore year of college Dave and I were working at the same wheelchair basketball camp for junior players after not seeing each other for several months. During the breaks the counselors would scrimmage. We were on the same team for the first scrimmage of camp. After the scrimmage Dave came up to me and said you have improved A LOT!
The way that Dave said it I knew I had just crossed the line of being a good player in Dave's eyes. I did nothing special, I made a couple layups and set screens so Dave could do his thing from downtown, but Dave understands the power of positive talk and he instilled so much confidence in me.
Dave is not the only thing that is so inspiring about the commercial. The song that is playing in the background is called Believe by Suzie McNeil. I highly encourage everyone to check it out because it is one of the most inspiring songs I have heard in a long time. As the lyrics say “You can move mountains with dreams” and “You can get through almost anything if you just believe.”
Lets believe, have some fun and move those mountains so we can all get to our dreams!
Thanks to Aliant for bringing together the brilliant work of Dave and Suzie! It inspired me deeply.
I hope everyone has time to check out the commercial and the song. It is well worth it!
Thanks for reading
Chris
Please be sure to check out my new website chrisrathje.com Everything will be moving over there once I get word press blogging down.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Opportunity or Obligation?
This post is dedicated to anyone who has ever played college wheelchair basketball.
No matter who you are that simple question can be applied to many activities that we have to deal with in our everyday lives. Is having to drive your sick relative to the doctor an opportunity to spend time with them in a moment of need or is it a family obligation? Only you can decide what is the right answer for you.
I first came up with this theory when I was a student athlete playing wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois. Is studying for that exam an opportunity to better yourself or an obligation to stay eligible? Is going to practice an opportunity to become a better player and person or is it an obligation to stay on the team?
Playing college wheelchair basketball and being a student is a unique and challenging task. I know I was exhausted for the vast majority of 2000 through 2004, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The experience made me tougher and more able to face life’s challenges after my days in Champaign were done.
I was once asked in grad school how I could possibly smile after several 80+ study hour weeks in a row. I replied “I get to sleep in every morning until 8!” I have a different view of the world thanks to getting up at 4:45 AM during my freshman year.
If someone finds themselves in the middle of this experience I would like to humbly submit some pieces of advice for consideration.
1. Always remember you are special and this experience is special. Playing college sports is a huge opportunity and playing wheelchair sports is extra special. You get to be around your peers in an unmatched way. This experience will broaden your horizons in immeasurable ways whether you are newly hurt or have been living with your disability your whole life. However this is not a given, you must be open to the opportunity and be willing to work for it.
2. Find a way to love your teammates even if you don’t always get along. I do not use the word love lightly. When you become part of a college team you become part of a family. Take the time and energy to get to know and appreciate all of your teammates. It is worth it in the long run and it will suit you well later on in life to be able to get along with a wide variety of people.
3. Always remember you are one team. Cliques are bad news and unnecessary, take the time and energy to reach out to everybody.
4. Look for the respect. I know things have changed in a few short years, but I know in my days we were frustrated by how little the university as a whole paid attention to us, but the respect was there. I was always surprised when I would get a complement out of the blue on how hard we worked from a football player who was a Big Ten champion or a college tennis All-American.
Take or leave my suggestions. I am nothing special. My career scoring total equaled great games for several players. I am still a work in progress, but look at people like Will Waller and Paul Schulte who made the most of their opportunities and now are All-Stars on all levels. They are great athletes, Paralympians and have wonderful careers that provide for their families. There is no big secret to their success. They spend the most amount of time in the gym and the office and they realize all the wonderful opportunities that have been presented to them.
I am one of the least talented people to ever put on a blue and orange jersey and I was on the verge of quitting at times, but one thing I never confused was what a wonderful opportunity I was being given by the universe. If I, a person with very little natural talent , can turn four years of being a student athlete into a masters degree from a world-renowned university and an opportunity to play for a legendary rugby program. What can you accomplish when you realize any time spent in a classroom or a gym is an opportunity and not an obligation?
Thanks for reading
Chris
No matter who you are that simple question can be applied to many activities that we have to deal with in our everyday lives. Is having to drive your sick relative to the doctor an opportunity to spend time with them in a moment of need or is it a family obligation? Only you can decide what is the right answer for you.
I first came up with this theory when I was a student athlete playing wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois. Is studying for that exam an opportunity to better yourself or an obligation to stay eligible? Is going to practice an opportunity to become a better player and person or is it an obligation to stay on the team?
Playing college wheelchair basketball and being a student is a unique and challenging task. I know I was exhausted for the vast majority of 2000 through 2004, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The experience made me tougher and more able to face life’s challenges after my days in Champaign were done.
I was once asked in grad school how I could possibly smile after several 80+ study hour weeks in a row. I replied “I get to sleep in every morning until 8!” I have a different view of the world thanks to getting up at 4:45 AM during my freshman year.
If someone finds themselves in the middle of this experience I would like to humbly submit some pieces of advice for consideration.
1. Always remember you are special and this experience is special. Playing college sports is a huge opportunity and playing wheelchair sports is extra special. You get to be around your peers in an unmatched way. This experience will broaden your horizons in immeasurable ways whether you are newly hurt or have been living with your disability your whole life. However this is not a given, you must be open to the opportunity and be willing to work for it.
2. Find a way to love your teammates even if you don’t always get along. I do not use the word love lightly. When you become part of a college team you become part of a family. Take the time and energy to get to know and appreciate all of your teammates. It is worth it in the long run and it will suit you well later on in life to be able to get along with a wide variety of people.
3. Always remember you are one team. Cliques are bad news and unnecessary, take the time and energy to reach out to everybody.
4. Look for the respect. I know things have changed in a few short years, but I know in my days we were frustrated by how little the university as a whole paid attention to us, but the respect was there. I was always surprised when I would get a complement out of the blue on how hard we worked from a football player who was a Big Ten champion or a college tennis All-American.
Take or leave my suggestions. I am nothing special. My career scoring total equaled great games for several players. I am still a work in progress, but look at people like Will Waller and Paul Schulte who made the most of their opportunities and now are All-Stars on all levels. They are great athletes, Paralympians and have wonderful careers that provide for their families. There is no big secret to their success. They spend the most amount of time in the gym and the office and they realize all the wonderful opportunities that have been presented to them.
I am one of the least talented people to ever put on a blue and orange jersey and I was on the verge of quitting at times, but one thing I never confused was what a wonderful opportunity I was being given by the universe. If I, a person with very little natural talent , can turn four years of being a student athlete into a masters degree from a world-renowned university and an opportunity to play for a legendary rugby program. What can you accomplish when you realize any time spent in a classroom or a gym is an opportunity and not an obligation?
Thanks for reading
Chris
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