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How can the Paralympics become relevant in the United States?
Having been involved with US Paralympics for over 15 years I have asked myself that question several times. Watch as crowds for the swimming and athletic events have grown over the past three Paralympics. In London, many of the volunteers I spoke with told me that the atmosphere was equal to or greater than that of the Olympics. So why does it take an act of god to get TV coverage and newspaper coverage here in the US? I have a few theories and observations that I would like to share.
First here is my perspective. I am the parent of a former Paralympic swimmer. (Justin Zook) who just retired. I have been to every major Paralympic swimming event both here in the States and overseas since 2005. I have been the deck announcer at most of the Can Am swimming events over that same time period. So to say I have watched this from up close would be an understatement. The views I am about share are only mine and as I don’t really have a “horse in the race” any longer, I feel are pretty independent. Some of these I have heard from others as well as myself.
The United States seems to have a difficult time with accepting and welcoming disabled people. Too many times I see people in this country shy away from people who are missing limbs or in wheel chairs. I have heard the term “dismissed” used to describe our view point toward people with a disability. Once the wars in the Middle East began to ramp up and brave soldiers who put their life on the line for their country started coming back with all sorts of missing limbs and horrific injuries, the attitude of the country began to change. How could you dismiss such brave individuals? We could not. Once their involvement in the Paralympic Movement became more visible, this brought new light on the sports as a way to assimilate back into life. So while the military connection has helped, we are still light years behind other countries in terms of attitude and acceptance.
My second view is related to the often criticized classification system that is the foundation for what the IPC likes to call “fairness” and level play. Lets talk about the concept of confusion. In the United States we like our sports very straight forward. We don’t want to have to think about crazy rules and we want definitive answers. Thus the need for instant replay so that we can be sure of a score. Sports like MLS soccer with crazy drafting and signing rules struggle to attract consistent fan bases because fans want to know why players end up on certain teams – why didn’t my team get that guy? To say the least, the classification system of the IPC, even its most basic form, is confusing. Its like a bunch of data is sent into a black box and presto change-o, someone is classified. Point systems are utilized to determine functionality. My guess is that last sentence already lost a bunch of you! But here is the real rub of this process. It is not objective, it is not administered by people who are qualified and lastly, the IPC is a Kangaroo Court which will not allow itself to be regulated by an independent committee. The appeal process is a joke. Its like having NFL Commissioner Roger Godell hear appeals. Is he going to rule against himself? I don’t think he will. So what does this really mean? It means that in order to be taken seriously in this country as a sport and not just entertainment (like the WWE) the IPC needs to open itself up to outside independent evaluation that is transparent and public. It needs to stop ignoring tests that it requests from doctors and miss the fact that someone is missing toes or a finger etc… It also needs to define what the difference is between minimizing your disability by training as a professional and your disability completely disappearing. This is not just a USA problem. It sure seems like we have been targeted recently but that’s only because we don’t see what is going on in other countries.
My last view is the funding disparity in our system vs. the world. Its pretty inconsistent from country to country. However it is more likely in many countries that an athlete can focus full time on their sport with having to worry about supporting themselves. That is not the case here in the United States. Before blaming US Paralympics, we need to realize that our government, other than the Military really has no influence or involvement with the Paralympic movement. In many other countries, they contribute a significant amount to these organizations. Our athletes do get funding, but it is not anything they can live on. Sponsorship has been lacking for the Paralympic movement in this country from its inception. We have not been able to attract that one or two significant foundations or charitable trusts who could endow this organization for several years to come. Please note that the Hartford has been a major contributor and I do not wish to slight them. I don’t know why this is such a problem here in the States, but somebody at US Paralympics should be reaching out to experts who may be able to help in this area.
My final thoughts are about the media and their coverage. Yes NBC, this is for you, but not limited to you. If you cover these events for the sole purpose of all the back stories, this will never catch on as a sport. I know that some of the stories are compelling, but the over the top focus on these without a focus on the races or the games makes your coverage look cheesy. There are many of us, who have been involved in these sports that would be happy to volunteer their time and expertise regarding what this race is really about. Why someone is so far behind at the start but is able to catch up during the race. Why a person who has two legs and no arms may have an advantage swimming over some who lost their legs but has use of their arms. Its actually really fascinating and compelling stuff. Able-bodied swimming commentators do a great job announcing during the Olympics, World Championships and other major swimming competitions. But those commentators have never been disabled and their knowledge of swimming with a disability is not up to par. In other words if we ever want these sports to gain traction, we need to treat them like sports, not an entertaining documentary. My son put his life on hold for 6 years to train and win a gold medal for his country in London. I saw the sacrifices he made and the work he put into this. He was training the same as every other elite athlete. Its okay to create some drama, but lets focus on the competitors and the drama in the pool and on the track or on the court.
I can say that writing this has been very therapeutic. These thoughts have been floating around in my head for a few years. My hope is that at least a dialogue can start about these issues. Maybe it will spark the COO of a large company to say “that’s something we can get behind!” My guess is that it will have no effect on the IPC. They insist that they are just trying to be “fair”. Okay IPC, if you are so sure, let an independent committee of physicians and physical therapists examine your methodology and make suggestions. Don’t hold your breath! When writing something like this you can always just write it and run and hide. I won’t do that. Again these are only opinions and everyone has one! If you have comments or suggestions, please feel free to email me at [email protected].
As the IPC World Championships are coming to a close, I thought I’d add to this thread as there is an urgent need for clarity from the IPC regarding classification – it’s purpose and role in fair and credible competition. Australian swimmer Elliott was classed up from S8 to S9 during pre competition classification. She competed in the S9 100 backstroke and was immediately reclassed as an S8. The fact that her time swam was almost 8 secs over her personal best didn’t appear to be of concern. Elliott then proceeded to dominate S8 competition including Gold & WR in 100 free and Gold in 100 back S8 in a new personal best time – almost 8 secs faster than… Read more »
As the IPC World Championships are drawing to a close in Scotland. I thought I would add to this thread as there is an urgent need for clarity regarding classification. Classification occurred on the 11th & 12th July prior to competition. Australian athlete Elliott was classed up from an S8 to an S9
Thank you Mr Zook for your article. The points you raised for discussion I am sure are not limited to USA. I have tried to follow Paralympic Swimming but it is far too political and the high drama of reclassing athletes prior to a Paralympuc Games is unfathomable and ‘finger points’ to intentional misrepresentation by the athlete rather than inconsistent classification outcomes. I am sure this is not the intention of an ‘athlete centred’ organisation but perception is everything. Huge congratulations to those athletes who continue despite all this..Small pool of swimmers? Stop classing elite athletes with eligible impairment out of competition and by that I mean NE and non competitive class allocation. Sponsors? Why would you risk sponsoring an… Read more »
Thank you for this great article and exposing the truth about the IPC. Although, Ian is the recent victim to the lack of medical knowledge of the “so called medical ” classifiers, there are many swimmers before him that have been classified wrong since the IPC cannot understand medical documentation. IPC classification is somewhat like Ice Skating Judging- political and without merit. The Paralympics will never get the glory until there is a few things that make it legit-1. Real Doctors as Classifiers2. More than 1 heat of swimmers in a Paralympic Games or World Championships.
Thank you very much Mr Zoot for this article. The IPC certainly do need to wake up and pretty fast. The inconsistencies are simply ruining the sport. There are plenty research fellows out there who could be offering far greater assistance at a grass root level. For example, classification (neuro) involves bench testing which is not only classifier dependent, but may or may not use all the tests. Water testing is next. This is where points can be added because the bench testing isn’t true and of course a lot can be seen over 25 meters of swimming and floating. Lastly, if indeed you make it this far, is first swim where miraculously you can go up a class. And… Read more »
The classifiers cured Silverman! But who does he still walk funny?
#freecrazylegs
#FREECRAZYLEGS The IPC needs to wake up and clean up. They think silence will make it go away. Only more attention will be drawn to the fact that the classifiers are mostly swim coaches who take a class, not individuals with ANY formal education in kinesiology, biomechanics, neuromuscular disorders, physical therapy, etc. Go to the IPC webiste. You too can be a classifier! They are recruiting literally anyone willing to do it. Olympic committees all contract doctors and therapist. Why are amateurs doing the work of experts? How is it even possible that the future of the sport is subjected to rules the older athletes are immune to… namely, allowing points added back in in the water assessment. Brasil and… Read more »
Thank you for this article and perspective, I agree with completely. I must add to this the most forgotten and overlooked disability group, the intellectually disabled S14 group. Athough they appear to be physically able, there is rigorous testing and lifetime documentation as proof of their disability. Once included in the paralympics, the entire disability group was eliminated for cheating. There are also far less events for them to qualify for, making it even harder to advance. There is no coverage or interest in these athletes who need a voice in their acceptance. 0