Paralympic athletes head to Beijing to participate in Games
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Second chances can be a rarity in sports. Remember, Mighty Casey and his bat never got a Mudville do-over after striking out.
But LDS Paralympian Chris Dodds has earned a chance to win a gold medal, part 2.
In 2004, he was member of the U.S. men's goalball team that claimed a bronze medal in the Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. He returns to the team in 2008 and is anxious to come home from China with a more precious class of metal.
"I want to win gold in Beijing," he told the Deseret News after participating in the recent U.S. goalball championships.
Goalball is an indoor game for visually-impaired athletes. Teams guard a goal that spans the length of the court while trying to score on their opponent by rolling a weighted ball that has bells on it at the other team's goal. Players throw their bodies on the floor in an attempt to block the fast-moving ball.
A student at Utah State University, he has played the sport for about a decade and has become an established goalball star in the U.S. The Utah native and lifelong member was born with full vision and was drawn to all sports as a boy. But at age 12 he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that eventually leads to blindness.
Goalball gave him an opportunity to remain an athlete. It's a sport where teamwork and communication is vital.
Eric Bennett won't have the luxury of teammates at his side in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. Archery is a lonesome sport. When he competes, he has only his sporting equipment, one distant target and steady, steady nerves to keep him company.
A member of the Surprise 2nd Ward, Surprise Arizona Stake, he grew up in a hunting family and learned to handle a bow and arrow at a young age. His love for archery remained strong even after he lost his right arm above the elbow in a car accident when he was 15. Undeterred, Brother Bennett fabricated a special shoulder release bow that allows him to shoot with one arm.
"My faith in Christ and my religion was huge in being able to recover from the accident," Brother Bennett said.
A returned missionary and Sunday School teacher, Brother Bennett is still something of a newcomer to international competition. He competed at the 2007 world championships, finishing fourth. Still, he likes his medal chances in Beijing despite an expected challenge from his South Korean competitiors. "I will have to shoot my best," he said.
A high school physics teacher and tennis coach at Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Ariz., Brother Bennett and his wife, Rachel, have a 2-year-old son, Logan.
If you know of other LDS athletes competing in the 2008 Paralympic in Beijing, please let us know at churchnews@desnews.com.
E-mail: jswensen@desnews.com
