Published: August 21, 2008 09:18 pm      

Sabolich earns honor of a lifetime

Scott Sabolich, owner, CP and LP at Scott Sabolich Prosthetic and Research has helped several amputees reach their athletic goals — three of his patients are headed to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, hoping to come away with gold medals.

However, Sabolich has also earned the biggest reward someone in his field can receive, as he will also be in Beijing, serving as Team USA’s only prosthesist.

“The really cool thing for Oklahoma is out of 3,000 prosthesist across the United States they selected this facility to support Team USA,” Sabolich said. “It’s the best honor a prosthesist can ever have, for this country to say they would like to have to go to Beijing to represent us. Very, very cool.”

This will be Sabolich’s first time to represent the USA at the Paralympic, though he has been in attendance at Sydney and Athens.

He will be helping 45 athletes from the U.S. along with his three patients.

Three of Sabolich’s patients — Katrin Green, of Germany, Earle Connor, of Canada, and J.B. Bizzell, Team USA, will be competing in the Games. All three were Scott Sabolich Prosthetic and Research on Wednesday receiving final tweaks and adjustments on their prosthetic legs.

Connor is no newcomer to international competition. He won gold in the 100-meter dash at Sydney in 2000, and was expected to repeat at the 2004 Athens Games, but was injured.

He is the current world record holder in the 100 and 200 meters. Connor is hoping to become the first above-knee amputee in the world to break the 12 second barrier in the 100 meters.

Connor broke the 200-meter world record a week and a half ago, but will not be competing in that event. “I recently got married, so the notion that marriage makes you slower, isn’t true,” Connor said.

“It’s been an 11-year journey, but I love every single second of it. Every day I wake up wanting to practice,” Connor said.

Unlike in years past, the 2008 Paralympics will not be televised in the U.S. which saddens Connor and Sabolich.

“In 1996, I was sitting on my couch watching the Paralympics, I was 19 years old and I had never competed in track and field. But it inspired me, I don’t know what it was, but something visually triggered me to want to compete. I told myself that I wanted to compete in the next Paralympics. I shocked the world in 2000, when I came in as an unknown and won gold,” Connor said.

“It’s a tremendous loss for this not to be on television in the U.S. because I didn’t even know that it existed until that day in 1996.”

Germany, where Green is from, will be airing two hours of Paralympic coverage per day. Green will compete in the 100 and 200-meter dashes.

Bizzell is the least likely of the three to be competing in Beijing. Not because of athleticism, though. Bizzell was an elite athlete before he became an amputee. However, he did not become an amputee until March 27, 2007.

That’s the day when he was out riding his motorcycle and decided to pop a wheelie. When the bike went up, his foot slid off, and went down on the pavement. Bizzell had his foot literally ground off by the asphalt.

“Talk about incredible stories, that’s an incredible story,” Sabolich said. “When he told me he was going to be competing in Beijing, I thought he was crazy. He shouldn’t be competing yet, he should be learning how to get around right now, he should be adjusting to everyday life, not competing in the Paralympics.”

Bizzell will be competing in the 100 and 200-meter dash, and could be competing in a relay.

Bizzell also wakeboards, which is something no one thought he would be able to do. And that’s what Bizzell, Connor and Sabolich had been doing prior to the interview.

Once at the Games, countries drop their differences and get along for two weeks, which is something that amazes competitors.

“Over there we’re just one big happy family,” Green said.

Sabolich said even though he is at the Games for Team USA, he will help out other countries as well.

“There are 15 venues with events going on at the same time. So we can’t be everywhere at once, and naturally we help competitors from every country that needs help,” Sabolich said.

“It’s really amazing. It is so great to see. Countries can be at war with one another, but at the Games they are all friends. It’s just awesome to be a part of that.”

Sabolich heads out to Beijing on Sept. 3.