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Essay Helps Send Girl To Paralympics

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By JOYCE McKENZIE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 20, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - When Sarah Goldman was born 16 years ago, nearly everyone she came in contact with forecasted her future as one of constant confinement.

She was diagnosed at birth with cerebral palsy, a muscular disorder that left her a quadriplegic with a limited range of motion in all four limbs.

But, by the age of 3, Sarah began to defy their predictions when she discovered adaptive sports.

Her participation began with Challenger Baseball in Shelton, Conn., and continued when her family relocated to New Tampa four years ago.

She now plays and competes in tennis, track and field, soccer and swimming through the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department-sponsored BlazeSports Tampa Bay program for the physically disabled. The program is based at the All People's Life Center on East Sligh Avenue.

"I grew up swinging a bat and learned to leave my wheelchair behind so I could 'run' the bases in my walker. ... My next big life goal is to leave my walker behind and truly run a 25-meter race," she recently wrote in an essay focused on how disabled sports activities have impacted her life. "The BlazeSports team is like my second family. ... Our friendships are special because we can all relate to one another in a unique way."

Sarah's involvement in sports, she continued, has produced even more blessings, including the opportunity to train younger disabled children and two gold medals in swimming at the 2006 National Junior Disability Championships.

"Not bad for someone who used water wings a year earlier!" she wrote.

It is her latest accomplishment that has given her the greatest sense of achievement, however.

As a result of the essay she entered in a U.S. Paralympics-sponsored contest, Sarah recently was awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Academy in Beijing, Sept. 5 through 11.

The Wharton High School senior honor student is one of 35 physically disabled student athletes nationwide selected for the academy. They have been invited to attend the 2008 Paralympic Games, including the event's opening ceremonies. She and the other winners will be mentored by some of its participants and will be allotted time for sightseeing and shopping.

Sarah's brother, Brandon, 12, answered the call from a U.S. Paralympics spokesman who announced she was going to Beijing.

"When he handed the phone over to me, at first I was speechless," said Sarah, noting there were more than 100 entrants in the contest. "Then the first words out of my mouth were, 'Are you serious?'"

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially at my age," said Sarah, the daughter of Karen and Les Goldman. "A lot of kids my age have never even left the state."

Catalina Bustamante, also a BlazeSports member, is thrilled for her friend Sarah.

"It's amazing, especially since they the Paralympic Games won't be televised," she said. "She'll also be able to see some of the athletes she knows."

Sarah's coach and BlazeSports Tampa Bay program director Andy Chasanoff also has been selected to attend the academy.

"It's a tremendous recognition for our BlazeSports program," the Bradenton resident said. "We've worked extremely hard to offer positive programs to our athletes and this honor really legitimizes our efforts."

U.S. Paralympics Association Director John Register describes Chasanoff's enthusiasm and energy level as "remarkable." In the program's four-year existence, Register said, Chasanoff has been a "key player" in attracting more than 200 physically challenged athletes.

"He has just made so many opportunities available for these kids, so it is very fitting he was chosen," Register said.

Mark Thornton, director of the county's Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department, concurred.

"Andy is probably the most dedicated individual I've had the pleasure of working with," Thornton said.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com.

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