SARAH REINERTSEN!!
If your not sure who Sarah Reinertsen is check out this article: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=28502&posts=25
I have been following Sarah's trials and tribulations since last years Ironman in Kona. I was so excited to see her complete this years event. I was discussing her story with a friend yesterday on my morning run and he commented "imagine what she could accomplish if she was not born with a disability."
I'm not really a 'what if guy'...'what if he was bigger"...'what if he had his brothers determination with his skill'...'what if he had the same access to that equipment'...'what if he had that kind of coaching'...'what if...'
The fact is, this is who Sarah Reinertsen is. I think back to something Lance Armstrong contiually says..."I owe my life to cancer". My question is, would we be talking about Sarah Reinertsen today had she not been born with one leg shorter than the other? Had her parents not opted to have one leg amputated above the knee? Had she not had a soccer coach that didn't give her an opportunity to be just another player? Had she entered and completed her first Ironman with ease? These things are what has made Sarah the person she is, and what makes her story so compelling.
I don't want to wonder about who she could be or would be if she was not an above the knee amputee because I think the world needs her just the way she is. People need to see the determination with which she competes, what she has gone through to be the first above the knee amputee Ironman finisher, people need to hear her harsh comments about the way we waste the two good legs most of us have, and people need to see the way she lights up a camera in an interview and the passion with which she talks about anything.
If we talk about 'what if...' maybe we should ask 'what if I was born with a disability, what could I accomplish and who could I inspire?' I think Sarah Reinertsen was born the way she was supposed to be born and her life is right on track...inspiring more people than you or I could ever hope to!
Brawn of the Oasis
If your not sure who Sarah Reinertsen is check out this article: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=28502&posts=25
I have been following Sarah's trials and tribulations since last years Ironman in Kona. I was so excited to see her complete this years event. I was discussing her story with a friend yesterday on my morning run and he commented "imagine what she could accomplish if she was not born with a disability."
I'm not really a 'what if guy'...'what if he was bigger"...'what if he had his brothers determination with his skill'...'what if he had the same access to that equipment'...'what if he had that kind of coaching'...'what if...'
The fact is, this is who Sarah Reinertsen is. I think back to something Lance Armstrong contiually says..."I owe my life to cancer". My question is, would we be talking about Sarah Reinertsen today had she not been born with one leg shorter than the other? Had her parents not opted to have one leg amputated above the knee? Had she not had a soccer coach that didn't give her an opportunity to be just another player? Had she entered and completed her first Ironman with ease? These things are what has made Sarah the person she is, and what makes her story so compelling.
I don't want to wonder about who she could be or would be if she was not an above the knee amputee because I think the world needs her just the way she is. People need to see the determination with which she competes, what she has gone through to be the first above the knee amputee Ironman finisher, people need to hear her harsh comments about the way we waste the two good legs most of us have, and people need to see the way she lights up a camera in an interview and the passion with which she talks about anything.
If we talk about 'what if...' maybe we should ask 'what if I was born with a disability, what could I accomplish and who could I inspire?' I think Sarah Reinertsen was born the way she was supposed to be born and her life is right on track...inspiring more people than you or I could ever hope to!
Brawn of the Oasis
posted by Brawn of the Oasis at 1:01 PM
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