History of My Chair

I was asked an interesting question today. When was the power wheelchair invented? So, that is what we're going to be addressing today. The simple answer is to be found on Wikipedia; the electric wheelchair was invented in the 1940s. Why was it invented? George Klein was working for the National Research Council of Canada and needed to develop a device for wounded veterans from World War II with limited mobility. The obvious benefits to the power wheelchair allowed people such as me who have limited upper body strength to move around independently. However, it's not much fun to just drive around with nothing to do, so what else is there to do but create games? Yeah, you probably knew I was going to go there. In the 1970s, French gym teachers developed a way for students who used power wheelchairs to participate in competitive soccer matches with each other. Meanwhile, an alternate version was created in Canada in the 1980s. This was the version that eventually permeated America through the traditionally progressive Cal-Berkeley. Another version of power soccer was also being developed in Japan and that version was adopted by England as well. However, in 2004, an American coach traveled to Belgium and through collaboration in Belgium as well as France decided to create an international body to govern power soccer. That, my friends, is a history of the power wheelchair and how to have fun with it. Check out the links to see where I got my info from, and keep reading!

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1990 is Old School

It was very funny today when I opened up my Facebook and saw a group that was dedicated to people who grew up in the 90s. The particular item that caught my eye was the Chicago Bulls being the best team ever. However, I thought that tonight I would add a few more important events that happened in the 90s that I feel are just as important.
• The home run gains new meaning as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa duke it out in 1998 in order to best Roger Maris' almost 40-year-old record.
• Michael Jordan retired twice.
• Magic Johnson and Larry Bird both retire only once though.
• Steroids begin to become some sort of plague; at least they're finally recognized as a problem somewhat.
• Tiger Woods emerges as golf's new phenom.
• Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman make the Cowboys one of the most exciting teams in the NFL.
• Christian Laettner nails an amazing buzzer beater for the Blue Devils as they triumphed over Kentucky.
• The Dream Team is created.
• Major League Baseball survived the strike.
• Most importantly, I was born.
I hope you all enjoyed this brief trip down memory lane. If you have a favorite sports moment from the 90s, please feel free to add your comment or e-mail me, and I'll post them as comments anyway. Sometimes, you just get that feeling of nostalgia and have to let it out.
Photo by sling@flickr

History Is Made

I love the feeling of watching history in the making. The tension while watching the last out of a no-hitter like the one that Ubaldo Jimenez is throwing right now (although in the midst of writing this sentence, he finished off this amazing feat which was the first in Colorado history) make you love the game even more. It is pretty awesome to think that you saw the first of something ever is awesome. However, this got me thinking about anytime something historic happens. There can only be one first time for anything. Once the first time is over, every other subsequent time is simply a repetition. It's similar to the first day of school; you're so excited to go back and see all your friends that the first day is amazing. However, the excitement soon turns into the idea that you have to go back for over half the year and do the same thing every day. In the same manner, Ubaldo Jimenez threw the first no-hitter in Colorado history; nobody else will ever be able to do that ever again. People say that history repeats itself, but the first time will always hold a special place in Colorado history that can never be done again.
Photo by Simon Davison

Sports History 101

How important is the NCAA tournament in America? Well, it is at least important enough to gain the attention of both the President and the voting public. What does this say about the popularity? I guess it speaks for itself; sports are incredibly important in American life. However, how did athletics become so prevalent in American culture? If I am recalling somewhat hazy memories from AP US History, sports as popular culture began in the 1920s. With the rise of stars such as Babe Ruth and increased leisure time due to more productivity, Americans wanted enjoyable pastimes. From there, sporting events continued to rise as the NFL was established in 1922, and the NBA was established in 1949 (although basketball has been around much longer than this). With all of the athletic options available, more and more people became involved. You didn't just need to play baseball; new sports were being introduced that better suited different skill sets. Because of this, sports continued to grow and multiply until they reached the point where we are today.

This is definitely a brief overview of the history of American sports, but I hope it shows how sports have become such a large part of American culture. Granted, I am no fortuneteller, but I feel like sports will not be going anywhere anytime soon. Even people who traditionally would not be able to play competitive sports, like myself, can get into the game and enjoy games like power soccer. Even countries are beginning to use sports as a method of rebuilding (see my article on Sri Lanka). So, I want you to remember that as much as you may try to avoid sports, you will never be able to in a culture that is as sports oriented as America is.

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