Next Stop - Innsbruck!

This Thursday, I am off to Igls, Austria, a small ski town outside of Innsbruck, where I will be training for the one-man bobsled, also known as the monobob, at the Bobsled World Cup. Igls is a resort town high in the Austrian Alps, with great ski slopes, natural ice skating, and the bobsled track.

I admit, I’m a little nervous. I’ve been prepping as much as I can - doing the same workouts as non-adaptive athletes - focusing on snatches, power cleans, and hard core hip drive for the explosive power you need to push the sled faster and shave seconds off right at the beginning. I’m maintaining a stricter diet, laying off the beer and carbs so that my body has the best fuel possible, and I’m watching every video I can find online of the track, to study it, memorizing the layout and all the turns. But I haven’t driven my own sled yet - all the training I did in Calgary was as brakeman in a two-man sled, and that makes me a little anxious.  

The brakeman pushes the sled to get it going down the track. I discovered that my leg doesn’t fit into the sled - you have to point your toes and prosthetics don’t do that - so I had to figure out how to push off with one leg. I did manage to get my time down to within 1 ½ - 2 seconds off the non-adaptive athletes, which is how I secured my spot on the team headed to the World Cup.  But you’re inside the sled, you’re folded over like a taco, staring at your crotch, under the lip of the sled to avoid adding any wind resistance. Meanwhile the driver navigates you through high-G turns, using just the most delicate touches on the D-rings to guide the sled depending on where you want to come out of the turn on the track, and wait till the driver tells me it’s time to hit the brakes.

In between runs, I watched my driver, another adaptive service member from the UK, Corrie, rehearse the track in his mind. He would tilt his head back, close his eyes and simulate the hand gestures he intended to use to steer. So, I’ve been doing a little of that while watching the videos of the track. I’m sure I’ll take to it as quickly as I took to being a brakeman, but it’s the anticipation of getting there and actually doing it that’s got me antsy. With 20+ runs and not a single crash yet, I’ve been promised that it’s going to be epic when I finally do because it’s been so long and those odds are weighing on me too. As they say, one way or another, once you enter the track, you are getting to the bottom of it. The trick is to get there shiny-side down.

Bobsled is one of the scariest, most exhilarating 60 seconds of your life. You’re flying down the track at 80+ MPH, feeling the Gs alternate between sucking you down into sled or almost lifting you up out of it. It’s your job to hold on for dear life. There is so much preparation that goes into it, from the physical prep to understanding every element of the track. If you’ve always wondered what it’s like to ride in a bobsled, most tracks offer amateur rides, where someone who’s never done it rides with an experienced driver and brakeman. Careful though - you might get hooked!

The World Cups will probably be on TV or streamed somewhere online, and I’m going to try to find out where so anyone who’s interested can check them out. Unfortunately, they hardly ever televise the para games, but I’m hoping to change that one day! Stay tuned for info on where you can watch.

Bis bald! (Till Next Time!)

2014 Recap & A Look Ahead

I posted a year ago and before I knew it, 2014 was over. I blinked and a year happened - and  a lot happened while I was blinking. It started with CrossFit, but check out where it took me!

In January, I decided CrossFit was my new path and left my contracting job to become a full-time coach at CrossFit Rubicon. I love watching people transform, gain confidence and overcome their fears and decided it was time to make the leap myself. I continued coaching at CrossFit Walter Reed, became a coach at CrossFit Balance Georgetown in the Reebok Fit Hub Facility and participated in the Crossroads Adaptive Athletic Alliance trip to the 2014 CrossFit Games in California, where we promoted Crossroads, sharing what we do and raising funds for the new Adaptive Coaching seminars we started. I also coached as a Subject Matter Expert at the first Crossroads Adaptive Coaching Seminar at CrossFit Redefined in Spring, Texas.

All of that was already really cool, but winding up on the cover of the September/October issue of Box Magazine was a surprise… and an honor.

I supported the Pat Tillman Foundation, raising $2,500, running in the 2014 Pat’s Run in Tempe, Arizona with fellow Tillman Military Scholars, with a 42lb (Pat Tillman’s college football number) rucksack strapped to my back, and I attended the Pat Tillman Foundation annual Leadership Summit in Chicago.

I got active with a Virginia based non-profit called Warrior 360 that provides rapid response to the needs of those in public service who put the welfare of others before their own. I competed in the 2014 Frederick Highland Games in Mt. Airy, MD and then the Virginia Scottish Games and Festival at Great Meadow, Virginia, with another Warrior 360 athlete. Then, I ran the Army 10-Miler with no training while wearing a ballistic vest, to help raise awareness and funds.

I became Team Captain for the the Yellow Ribbon Fund’s Veteran TUF team, a program that encourages veterans to use CrossFit, or any other sport, for rehabilitation and reintegration after leaving the service or being injured. I also competed and recruited with TUF at the Civilian Military Combine events in Brooklyn, New York, Bryce Resort, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland.

I also somehow managed to get two semesters in toward my B.S. in Kinesiology.

THEN, things got interesting…

In November, I was invited to compete and train as a possible member of a para-bobsled team that is vying to have the sport included in the 2018 Winter Games. I pushed a two-man sled on one leg, loaded with my driver, nearly as fast as some of the non-adaptive two-man teams, and won the exhibition races for the week with another wounded service member from the UK.

Because of my performance, 2015 is promising to be just as exciting as 2014 was.

I will be traveling to the Olympic Sliding Centre in the town of Igls near Innsbruck, Austria, and St. Moritz, Switzerland in January, to compete in a 1-man bobsled for the Para-bobsled World Cup races. I have been working on securing travel and sponsorship for travel to these events.

When I get back from Austria and Switzerland, I’ll be competing with adaptive CrossFitters in the Arnold Classic, a huge strength, power and CrossFit competition in Columbus, Ohio. I’m completely addicted to Highland games now, so I’ll be competing in them again, I’ll be attending Adaptive Coaching Seminars in Virginia Beach, San Diego, Miami, New Jersey and Boston throughout the year, and I’ll be working the Wounded Games in the US and UK.

Twelve years ago, I was career Army, but life had other plans. I would never have guessed that going with the flow would land me where I am; CrossFit coach, ambassador for adaptive athletics and wounded soldier programs, and looking at the possibility of becoming an olympic athlete. To me, it’s proof that you can’t waste your time looking back. Accept where you are right now, who you are, and then take a step forward.

What’s your next move going to be?

Staying humble...

I frequent The Chive daily and although the pictures of scantly clad women are great to look at, I find the other galleries just as interesting. A couple of weeks ago, I saw this logo pop up and it really spoke to me. Simple enough. "Work hard and Stay humble"

2013 was a humbling year for me. I've never been associated with the word scholar. I was not motivated in high school to perform my best in my classes. When I entered the Army, I found my calling but we all know how that came to an end. I used my VA educational benefits to get a degree from ITT Tech because I thought it would help me support my family. It has, but I hadn't found my second calling outside of the Army yet. ITT was easy. You do assignments, take an exam or two and earn easy grades. I guess that's why the degree doesn't transfer to any other public university save for the typical "for profit" schools. It wasn't until I discovered coaching CrossFit that I decided what I really want to do in life. This lead me to the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Again, I've never been referred to as a scholar. When I applied to become a Tillman Military Scholar, I hoped, but never really thought I would be awarded a scholarship and the chance to have my name associated with Pat Tillman or any of the other veterans working so hard to make changes in their communities. Being chosen was an extreme honor, then came the hard work.

I entered my first semester thinking I was going to "easily" transition and balance the work/school/family load.... WRONG! I fought my way through the semester and learned so many valuable lessons. Gone was my ability to workout 5 days a week. Gone was my ability to have a social life. Gone was my ability to continue coaching. I buckled down but the course load was tremendous considering I have to continue to work full time in a traditional 9-5 and attend school. The result was not what I expected nor what I hoped for.

Despite my efforts, I fell short of the required 3.0 GPA primarily due to what I now understand to be the widow maker. Human Anatomy and Physiology killed me. What's better is that I have to retake it. The semester truly humbled me and the result was me being placed on academic probation for the Spring semester with my scholarship in danger.

I am so grateful for the Pat Tillman Foundation for believing in me and selecting me. I am so gracious for my family and friends supporting me. And now, I know exactly what I need to do. I need to work hard and stay humble. This coming semester, look to me to become a bit of a recluse. You won't find me out and about. You will find me studying, working, volunteering and redirecting myself to everything that counts.

Why Do People Get Punished For Single-unders?

For the longest time I had, what I thought, was a built in excuse for not being able to do double-unders. Until I saw another amputee rocking them out like no tomorrow, I thought I was going to be stuck doing single-unders forever! Now, let me be clear, this has not made a difference in how I look at the double-under. I hate the exercise. I am not a cherry picker of WODs but I will take a rest day when I see double-unders on the menu. I simply don't like them.

Most of this disdain is also my reason for not practicing them regularly. But another issue I have always had is with "scaling" the double-under. Now, I say "scaling" with a mouth load of sarcasm. In reality, it's punishment! In every gym I have ever been in, the scaled option for the double-under has been 3:1 singles or, in a rare case, double-under attempts. I don't get it! Am I supposed to get a double under faster because I have to do three times the as many singles as my peers have to do doubles? Other than building up stamina, all it does is frustrate and alienate those who don't have double-unders. I can tell you that my problem with the double under is timing and rhythm along with some mechanic issues (I have a hard time relaxing). A million single-unders won't help that.

One of my coaches once told me to practice single-unders until I can sustain 3 minutes of singles before I move on to double-unders. He also told me to practice the power jump to make sure I am gaining height on the jump and not donkey kicking. I think this is a better plan for building to double-unders than the "scaling" that we typically get punished with.

Think of this in terms of "Annie"

Rx'd
50-40-30-20-10

Double-Unders

Abmat Sit-ups

Scaled
50-40-30-20-10 (3:1)

Double-Unders (150-120-90-60-30)

Abmat Sit-ups

Other than building the stamina to jump, doing that amount of single-unders has no mechanical advantage when preparing to do double-unders. It doesn't prepare you for the mechanics of whipping the rope. Better scalable options, and ones I was given during the time I spent at CrossFit Reston in Virginia are: double-under attempts where the counted reps are a successful double-under (think single, single, double or single, double) Or an equal number of single-unders with the jumps being a power jump (higher elevation).

Stop punishing athletes who cannot do double-unders! Help them achieve the double-under. (Of course this also requires us to practice, we know that!)

Mini-challenge & the return of coach!

It's no big secret how the my first semester back in school has affected me in terms of schedule and my lack of time in the gym. With a hectic full time load at George Mason University, a 40 hour work week and my family (who has been BEYOND supportive) my time in the gym, both personal and as a coach, have fallen off. The same can be said about my ability to spend time with my friends.

WOD and Personal Performance

Since I have had limited time in the gym, you can guess my performance and strength has probably suffered. An additional side effect has been balance. For instance, where I used to be pretty balanced in the bottom of a squat, despite hanging out down there basically on one leg, I am now unbalanced. No doubt due to some mobility regression as well. School has not been the only limiting factor but has made for a convenient excuse. I have also been dealing with a lower back injury and injuries/irritations as a result of my prosthesis. Still I soldiered on until it became unbearable and I finally did something about it.   

I went from working out 5 days a week to barely making it 2-3 days a week. Now, I am a person who suffers from what I term as "gym PMS". Ladies, if this offends you, I'm sorry. When I don't go to the gym, I get really pissy! Additional stress from school and the need for calories to counter the late nights and early mornings have also led to some poor eating decisions. While I didn't fall off the wagon face first into grain and carb bliss, I did go from about 85-90% paleo to about 50% paleo and not so clean sometimes.

This all changes with the end of the semester! Beginning 2 December, I am starting my own mini-nutrition challenge and also getting back to the basics. The semester wraps up on 11 December for me, so beginning a week early only makes this better. My winter break ends 21 January. Here is what my mini challenge will entail:

1. A return to strict paleo. This means I will go back to my old ways of eating. Everything will be as clean as possible and I will only consume beer/alcohol at special occasions. (c'mon, it is still the holidays!)

2. 5 day workout schedule. I will be returning to the 5 day a week program with the addition of two nights a week where I will run or ruck. I have a ruck run and a 24 hour ruck in the spring so training shall commence immediately.

3. Strength! I want to get strong. I can already kip, now to get strong. So, all pull-ups (except chest to bar, for now), all handstand push ups, all dips and generally any other movement that requires a kip, will be done strict. Yes, I can kip the hell out of some toes-to-bar or knees-to-elbow movements, but I am going to choose to get stronger first! (well, second.....but, you know what I mean)

4. Mobility, mobility, mobility. I will mobilize to make sure I can continue this schedule and also to ensure that old injury bug doesn't make a return.

Coaching.....maybe a return of "Thurpee Thursday"

Since I started back to school, I have dropped back to coaching every other weekend. This makes me grumpy as well because I truly love coaching and the performance of my athletes is vitally important to me. I'm here to tell you Rubiconers, I will be back in the evenings a couple more days a week. Not the same old schedule, but at least a day or two during the week. I still need a little break myself.

Next semester will be a difficult one with Anatomy & Physiology 2, Functional Anatomy and Kinesiology all on my plate. I'll try to make the best of my return.

Goals?

It's pretty simple.... Lose the few pounds I gained and get stronger. Be a better coach!

Hey Hollywood, You Got Some Splainin To Do!

There are very few shows I watch on a regular basis. I simply don't have the time or energy to get involved in TV shows so I choose wisely. Being a guy and being a guy who loves zombies and the whole zombie genre, of course one of these shows is The Walking Dead on AMC. From episode one, this show captured my interest. Another show is one my wife and I have watched together since it first aired on TV; Grey's Anatomy. I know, not exactly the manliest of shows but it's a little drama that the wife and I like to curl up on our big couch and watch together.

Believe it or not, both of these shows have something in common. Both have a main character who, through traumatic circumstances in the show's story line, have become amputees. Now, I realize that non-amputee actors playing amputees is not new (Gary Sinise as Lt. Dan in Forrest Gump), however I do have a small bone to pick with the two shows that only my amputee friends will understand.

Let's tackle the Walking Dead and Herschel. First, the show has wildly strayed from the comic, so I will explain the injury and how Herschel lost his leg. Avid Walking Dead viewers and readers will note the difference but here goes. In the comic, Herschel does NOT lose his leg. Dale loses his leg after the group inhabits the prison and he is amongst some of the group who goes into the prison parking lot to siphon gas from parked/abandoned cars in order to keep the generators running. While on this "mission", he is bitten on the Achilles/calf by a walker (zombie) lying under a car. Subsequently, to save his life and keep the infection from spreading through his body, Rick hacks off his leg with a hatchet. In the show, Herschel loses his leg under similar circumstances except the bite occurred while on a search and destroy/clearing mission inside the prison to rid the area of walkers.

Herschel can haz leg

So, now that we have the stories cleared up, let's chat about post amputation and little intricacies Hollywood has botched. Post amputation, Herschel had to heal up and was shown for the rest of the season on crutches found in the prison infirmary. No issues there! However, in the first episode of Season 4, as you can see in the picture, Herschel has a prosthetic leg. As an amputee, you can immediately see the prosthetic poking out from the boot. In the comic, after Dale lost his leg, they were able to find him a prosthetic leg as well. Here's the problem... In a post Zombie Apocalypse world, they have been able to go out and find a prosthetic which magically fits Herschel just right.... For the non-amputees, let me explain.. Bullshit! Now I know the whole show is bullshit, but if Hollywood or the Walking Dead consulted anyone on this, they would have been informed that you cannot simply find a prosthesis and put it on as an amputee. Doesn't work that way. Just sayin'!

With Grey's Anatomy, Arizona, one of the doctors, loses her leg from injuries sustained in a plane crash. Angered that her wife cut her leg off, she spent the entire season pissing and moaning about the amputation, even though it saved her life, and eventually cheated on her wife with another lady.... Ok, folks, I know that losing a limb is traumatic. I have friends dealing with their loses in all kinds of ways and for some it's tougher than others, but what I don't understand with this instance is the whole new amputee to mobile amputee portrayal.

Arizona being casted for her limb.

Any amputee can tell you that the gate of a below knee amputee and that of an above knee amputee are very different. It's difficult for an above knee amputee to walk and move without a noticeable limp. In the show, after learning to walk on her prosthetic, Arizona goes from barely walking and coping to walking in high heels, without a limp and absolutely no visual queues she is an amputee in what seems like 2-3 episodes. It's a miracle! Here is an article from O&P about how the prosthetic magic happened: http://www.oandp.com/articles/news_2013-03-21_01.asp

The issue is that any women amputees will tell you that high heels with a prosthetic is not something you just pop up and start walking on!

So, what have we learned from this little post? We've learned that, much like watching a military movie with a service member or like watching a movie with FBI shenanigans in it with my wife (my wife spent some time in the FBI and is almost unbearable to watch FBI movies with), you can't watch shows and movies with amputees in them without us finding flaws and throwing up the bullshit flag.....

Gaming the VA System........Not for this guy!

Recently Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill) rained hell-fire down on CEO of Strong Castle Inc., Braulio Castillo, for misrepresenting his injury and veterans status to gain a competitive advantage while bidding on IRS contracts. The video of this exchange went viral on social media. Duckworth slammed Castillo for comparing his injuries to those suffered by our heroic veterans. Castillo evidently injured his foot while attending a U.S. Military prep school, but later went on to play college football. He subsequently used his prep school injury to receive government contracts based on his status as a “disabled veteran”. Currently, Castillo has a disability rating of 30% from the Department of Veterans Affairs . The VA describes service-connected disability compensation as “a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by an injury or illness that was incurred or aggravated during active military service.”

Right now, veterans are waiting an average of 237 days for their initial disability rating to be assessed. Some of this backlog could be attributed to people like Castillo who are submitting bloated or inflated claims.

In March of 2002, I was involved in a tragic artillery accident at Fort Drum, NY, that left two of my friends dead, and 13 people injured. My left calf was blown off by shrapnel from a 105 mm Howitzer round that landed a mile and a half off its target, right near the tent where my unit had been eating breakfast.

I spent 8 months undergoing multiple procedures in an attempt to salvage my lower left leg. The physical therapy was excruciating and I suffered unrelenting pain as the nerves tried to regenerate and I tried to gain mobility. These attempts were ultimately futile with 80 percent of my leg between my knee and foot simply not there. In November of 2002, I opted to have my injured leg amputated to improve my quality of life. Similar to Congresswoman Duckworth, however, the pain didn’t go away when my leg was removed. I also feel sensations in a part of my body that was amputated over a decade ago, ranging from itching to feeling as if my foot is being torn to shreds. From the outset, doctors and other military personnel told me that I was going to get 100 percent disability rating upon my medical retirement from the Army.

I was also told how to go about getting this elevated disability rating. Any veteran will tell you about the numerous briefings you have to attend when you are separating from the military. These briefings are designed to help you navigate the transition from service member to civilian. One such briefing guides you through the process of submitting your claim for benefits and compensation to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

As a soon-to-be-retired soldier, I was told to document all of my ailments. I remember listening to Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers tell soldiers to exaggerate any injuries or pain they had for the VA claim with the express intent to be awarded a higher disability rating. Issues from shaving bumps to sleep apnea, from hearing loss to leg and back injuries are all claimed as being service connected. While so many veterans have serious claims to disabilities, many are just hitting up the cash cow to see how much they can get.

As I prepared my VA claim, I was asked about past injuries specific to my knees and back. A few years in a light infantry unit (which is anything but light) can wreck your knees and back. I claimed one minor injury to my knee, solely because it was in my medical records provided to the VA. I was asked repeatedly if I had any symptoms from the artillery accident that could be viewed as PTSD, to which I honestly responded no.

As Ms Duckworth indicated in her public service message to Mr “30 Percent” Castillo, a below-leg amputation is “worth” a 40 percent disability rating, which is what I was ultimately awarded. By the numbers, it appears that missing my leg below the knee makes me a mere 25 percent more disabled than a man who hurt his foot, and then went on to play collegiate sports.

I spend every Monday afternoon at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, volunteering as a CrossFit coach. I encounter men and women who have recently survived devastating injuries, many of them with missing limbs and traumatic brain injuries. These soldiers show up at the gym at a low point in their lives. I’ve been where they are now, and I try to show them by example that, while their injuries will never go away, they can adapt to their injuries and regain much of their former fitness levels. These veterans inspire me with their determination to overcome horrific circumstances. I am honored to be able to demonstrate to them that they can thrive, just as I have, despite their injuries. They face the new challenges in their lives with grace and fortitude.

The added challenge that malingerers are delaying their VA claims makes me angry.

My VA disability claim was processed over ten years ago, but that does not mean that my status as a disabled veteran was a one-time event: obtaining my disability rating. I will probably apply for veterans’ benefits from time to time throughout my life. For example, I am beginning to research the programs available to help me to finance my own small business. My eventual goal is to open my own CrossFit gym. I was recently accepted to a health education and kinesiology bachelors program at George Mason University. I was concurrently selected as a Tillman Military Scholar, a competitive scholarship sponsored by the Pat Tillman Foundation. This scholarship will allow me to combine the lessons learned though my military service and my education to continue my service to others.

I hope to use this educational opportunity to increase my knowledge in the field and to open my own fitness facility. My goal is to be able to help others, veterans and civilians alike, to improve their lives through fitness. As is the case with most American families, though, we have to plan our finances very carefully. Taking the risk of leaving a stable IT job to open a gym is a terrifying prospect. As a disabled veteran, I hope there are loans and grants available to help me realize this dream. A part of me doesn’t want to appear like I’m “gaming the system.” Do I really “deserve” the help I hope to receive? And then I look down at the space below the hem of my cargo shorts to the titanium rod extending down into my shoe. And I think of the good I can do in the lives of others. And so, I hope that I would never be on the receiving end of criticism like Congresswoman Duckworth dished out to Mr Castillo. I will appreciate any help I qualify for, and look forward to entering a new phase of my life, even if it means relying on my disabled veteran’s status.