Rio 2016: A Spectacle of Life and Sport

Rio de Janeiro. When said in English, it sounds exciting. When said in Portuguese, it sounds exotic and passionate. After these past two weeks, I can say that all of those words are accurate descriptions of this vibrant city.


Four years ago, after watching people whom I can now legitimately call friends compete in the Paralympics in London, I said that I would be going to Rio in 2016 to do the same there. It wasn't a possibility; it was a definitive. I started putting away money from every paycheck the week that I returned and four years later, I made good on that promise. London drove home my love for adaptive sports while Rio fortified my love for the athletes.

Those two weeks were a whirlwind in so many ways. I "did" Rio to as much of an extent as possible while also making sure that I was supporting the most important people, my friends old and new, in their feats of amazingness. To describe everything would be impossible and lengthy, but I am going to try my best, so sit tight, grab a coffee, and enjoy the ride....

I am no stranger to travel at this point in my life, but I will admit that my international travel has been primarily limited to Mexico (which I hardly count due to how young I was last time I was there) and western Europe, with only a brief visit to Africa. While that is still much more than the large majority of US Americans, I feel as though my explorations are grouped into one primary view point. Rio, in all its eclectic glory, helped broaden that vantage.


Although I am not fluent in any language except English, I speak enough Spanish and German to get by in the most prominent countries I travel to and live in. Those where I don't know much more than "hello" and "thank you" are usually of minimal consequence because much of the European Union speaks at least a bit of broken English, if not are more fluent in English than I am in their language. So, to find that most Brazilians speak zero English was quite a new experience for me. I am unsure how much of the lack of English is due to an absence of English education in schools or a larger consensus that it is unnecessary to learn. This is based on a conversation that I listened to where a Brazilian girl, maybe about 21 or 22 years old, adamantly expressed her unwillingness to learn English, stating that she shouldn't have to learn English when the country that she lived in speaks Portuguese and the continent she lives on speaks either that or Spanish. In either case, I will not fault the Brazilians for primarily only speaking one language, whatever the reason, but the fact did make everyday activities a bit more challenging and intimidating. Simultaneously, such experiences give me insight. I will never be fluent in all languages of the world where I travel, but it targeted my appreciation of those who travel (and especially move) to a country where they cannot communicate. Hand gestures are a wonderful addition to any conversation, and eventually the most important things get across.


Upon coordination of travel to the sports venues to watch the events, I quickly realized that Rio is huge. To get from one side of the city to the other, it is necessary to drive over an hour. It can essentially be compared to driving across multiple city lines within a county, as there are different districts scattered throughout Rio. I have found in previous travels that the most cost efficient way of travel is generally public transport (trains, metro, buses) or good old fashioned walking. Rio was no exception to this rule. By public transit, I was just under 2 hours away from most of the venues that I was spectating at, but my time spent navigating my way through the city allowed me to have  much more vibrant and "real" experience.




Much to most people's surprise, I never felt wholly unsafe while in Rio. I constantly remained aware of my surroundings but, having walked late at night by myself most every night to return home from the Olympic Park, at no time did I feel I was in any sort of extreme danger. What I did see though, was every walk of life. I stayed in an area of Rio called Lapa. Known for a few tourist attractions and it's nightlife, it is also one of the grittier parts of the city. Walking to and from the metro, about a 10 min walk, enlightened me to many smells and sights. My favorite was the homeless woman by the bank down the street whom I often saw reading the paper in the morning and sleeping close to (I assume) her husband/significant other at night. It also made me smile to see the men who hung around the rickshaw- like cart, which doubled as their bed, smiling while playing with their group puppy. Then on the metro, I would watch children coming back from the beach, a woman indiscriminately crying,  parents hugging their babies, and younger people giving their seat up for the elderly. I saw this on the bus as well, but often with a bit more crowded of a viewpoint. Although there is obvious poverty, there is also typical everyday life. Brazil is not a war-torn country; regular people still live there and raise families and lead regular lives just as you and I do.




           

As any typical tourist would do while in Rio, I went to several of the beaches, sat in awe from view points at Christ the Redeemer and Sugar Loaf, and explored the hippie market that happens on Sundays in Ipanema. I reveled in some of the delicious food that Rio has to offer, although I feel I should have indulged in that aspect more fully. I learned that Samba is a way of life and of hips. In short, I was able to see the beauty that is Rio. Although I would like to visit again later in life, hopefully to engage myself more in the natural side of the area through hiking, I was able to leave feeling that I did not miss out on much of anything. In fact, I was lucky enough to have the additional experience of attending the Paralympics. I cannot say I am dissatisfied.



               

The excitement of the Paralympic Games is a separate adventure of its own. The location of the Paralympics has little to do with the Games themselves and more so to do with what one does outside of watching the  showcasing of incredible talent from phenomenal athletes. For those who do not know what the Paralympic Games are, they are the Olympics for para athletes, athletes with physical disabilities. These disabilities range from those who are paralytic to missing limbs, dwarfism to giantism, and everything in between. They are not the Special Olympics, which are held all over the US at various times for developmentally disabled individuals. The Paralympics are held every four years, two weeks after the regular Olympics in the same venues. The first Paralympics were held in 1960 in Rome and have grown immensely since. These Games showcase talent which rivals that seen in the Olympics, with many of the same events, just with adaptations.

 I first learned of adaptive sports a few years ago while working with an Army unit that focused on injured Soldiers. My job was to get them to be physical within their limitations through adaptive sports such as wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball. My knowledge, love, and respect for these sports grew the longer I was in the job. I had the fortunate opportunity to meet the men of Team USA in wheelchair basketball a few months before they headed to London for the 2012 Games, and on a whim I decided to go to London, too. As I said, those Games led me to Rio, a showcasing that did not disappoint.

There were two sports that I focused on attending during these Games: men's wheelchair basketball and the sprint canoe (paddling), which had its debut this year.

Wheelchair basketball is one of my favorite sports in general, adaptive or not. To watch how fast the athletes are and see how much strength they have boggles the mind. They play on the same court with the same dimensions, the same net height, and the same markings as regular basketball. This year's competition was fantastic, to say the least. The men (and women, for that matter) were undefeated throughout the whole tournament. I had the opportunity to cheer them on from the relatively simple games at the beginning of the tournament all the way to watching them win gold against Spain, something that had not been done by the US men since 1988. Bronze was close in London, but it wasn't gold.

I didn't know I was going to be so emotional, but when that buzzer sounded, tears of joy were pouring from my eyes. I looked around to the families of the rest of the players and coaches, whom had adopted me into their "family" during the Games, and I saw not a dry eye in our group. The pride that we all felt for them was overwhelming. I know that for the families it was much deeper than even what I experienced. They have watched their sons and husbands for years, day in and day out, pushing to be better, faster, stronger. These men inspire me but not because they are disabled; that is irrelevant. I am inspired by the amount of dedication that they have given to their craft. Literally their whole lives revolve around the sport, and very often they do it more for love than money (not because they wouldn't like to be paid more fairly, but para athletes are not equally represented in the sports world - yet).

In fact, all of the athletes that I watched inspire me for the same reason. The women that I know who competed in sprint canoe have overcome just as many difficulties and obstacles. Neither were born with their disability, but both have pushed through to become good enough at their sport to make it to such a level. Also, both are pushing forward in the world of adaptive surfing (one living in San Diego and one in Hawaii) to grow that branch of sport and possibility for others to get out and get moving. Neither of them went home with a medal, but they both started and finished within the top 15 competitors in their sport in the world. Regardless of their final standing, that is mind boggling amazing when you think about it.


None of the athletes that I know or that I saw have let themselves become mentally paralyzed by their struggles. Just like anyone else, they have some days that are harder and easier than others, but rather than feeling sorry for themselves, they figure it out, put their head down, and drive forward. That is inspirational, regardless of limitations.

In short (ok, in long), I returned from this trip to Rio a better person. I was able to face fears and change some preconceived notions and perspectives as well as intake the reminder of how blessed I am. There is so much that I have the propensity to take for granted, so sometimes the raw reality of that is a beneficial reminder. Rio was beautiful as were all of the people that I encountered, athletes and non-athletes alike. It is a trip that I will not soon forget and an experience that I am immensely grateful for. I do not know if I will have the opportunity to attend the Paralympics in Tokyo 2020 but if able, I will be there. To all those that were a part of my trip and allowed me to be a part of your experience, thank you. You are amazing.

But, it does feel good to be home ❤