2008 Woodie Awards
Disability sports deserve more respect
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Rocket Letters
To the editor:
Disability sport is still sport. Although this phrase seems obvious in its simplicity, it needs to be restated after seeing the coverage of the fifth-annual Steel City Slam relegated to the Focus section of the Nov. 16 issue of The Rocket.
As a community programs for Americans with disabilities major with an adapted physical activity minor, I have studied the everyday issues that people with disabilities face. More often than not, people who have sustained spinal cord injuries feel disempowered, and sports such as quad rugby are often the only way for them to feel normal again.
I had the chance to volunteer at the Steel City Slam and spent Saturday afternoon in the penalty box keeping track of infractions against the athletes. I can tell you firsthand that this sport, also known as murderball, is incredibly intense. These athletes, who have limited use of their arms and legs, are powerhouses on the court. They slam into one another with the force of a football player making a tackle and their hearts are in the game just as much as any soccer or basketball athlete, quite possibly more so.
The point I am getting at is this: Athletes with disabilities are not charity cases. I was appalled and offended to see the story about the tournament in the Focus rather than the Sports section. By putting it in the Focus section, it appeared that the editors of The Rocket were saying, "Oh, how nice for you," as they patted these athletes on the head.
While I do think that the article was well-written and I must commend Amber Wilhelm for her unbiased reporting, I believe that the editors should reconsider the placement of articles about disability sport in the future. As Scott Hogsett, one of the U.S Paralympic Quad Rugby athletes profiled in the 2005 documentary "Murderball" stated in the film, "We're not going for a hug, we're going for a f---ing gold medal."
Andrea Harnett
Junior
Community programs for Americans with disabilities
Disability sport is still sport. Although this phrase seems obvious in its simplicity, it needs to be restated after seeing the coverage of the fifth-annual Steel City Slam relegated to the Focus section of the Nov. 16 issue of The Rocket.
As a community programs for Americans with disabilities major with an adapted physical activity minor, I have studied the everyday issues that people with disabilities face. More often than not, people who have sustained spinal cord injuries feel disempowered, and sports such as quad rugby are often the only way for them to feel normal again.
I had the chance to volunteer at the Steel City Slam and spent Saturday afternoon in the penalty box keeping track of infractions against the athletes. I can tell you firsthand that this sport, also known as murderball, is incredibly intense. These athletes, who have limited use of their arms and legs, are powerhouses on the court. They slam into one another with the force of a football player making a tackle and their hearts are in the game just as much as any soccer or basketball athlete, quite possibly more so.
The point I am getting at is this: Athletes with disabilities are not charity cases. I was appalled and offended to see the story about the tournament in the Focus rather than the Sports section. By putting it in the Focus section, it appeared that the editors of The Rocket were saying, "Oh, how nice for you," as they patted these athletes on the head.
While I do think that the article was well-written and I must commend Amber Wilhelm for her unbiased reporting, I believe that the editors should reconsider the placement of articles about disability sport in the future. As Scott Hogsett, one of the U.S Paralympic Quad Rugby athletes profiled in the 2005 documentary "Murderball" stated in the film, "We're not going for a hug, we're going for a f---ing gold medal."
Andrea Harnett
Junior
Community programs for Americans with disabilities
