Paralympics

We had hoped to attend a Paralympic event while in Great Britain, but unfortunately the timing was off and we left London a couple of days before the opening ceremonies.  I'm not sure how it is being covered back home, but there are four channels here which are covering the Paralympics events.  I am a huge Olympic sports fan, so this has been a nice cure for my OWS (Olympics Withdrawal Syndrome).  These athletes have trained every bit as hard as their olympic counterparts and the events are just as interesting to watch.  In the Olympics coverage they always have these little vignettes about how some athlete has overcome adversity.  With the Paralympics, you know each and every athlete has overcome obstacles that most people can scarcely imagine.  I really hope that these games are getting the coverage and attention they deserve outside of Britain.

The British people are whole-heartedly supporting the games.  In fact in some events where Team GB is competing the crowd enthusiasm has been a problem.  One rowing event for visually impaired athletes was so loud, that team members said that they couldn't hear the coxswain's calls.  I can't even imagine how they managed to keep their rowing in sync and on course with no sight and no audible indications, but they won the event.  The support really seems to be inspiring the British athletes who are winning medals at an unprecedented pace (as I type they are in second in the medal count with 93). 

~Shawn