August 2010 Vol. 7 Issue 8
Amy Palmiero-Winters Wins 2010 ESPY Award
A Step Ahead is proud to announce that Amy Palmiero-Winters (Below Knee) has been awarded the 2010 ESPY Award in the category of Best Female Athlete with a Disability.
This prestigious award was presented to her on July 14th in Los Angeles and constitutes yet another achievement in what has been a momentous year for Amy, who was chosen to be on Team USA at the IAU Ultrarunning World Championships in Brive, France and selected as the winner of the 2010 AAU Sullivan Award.
New York City Triathlon
On Sunday, July 18th, nine Team A Step Ahead triathletes competed in the 2010 USAT Paratriathlon National Championships hosted by the Nautica New York City Triathlon. The Olympic-distance triathlon took place a typically hot and humid New York City day and consisted of a 1500-meter swim in the Hudson River, twenty-five mile bike on the Henry Hudson Parkway, and a 6.2 mile run in Central Park. Six athletes competed in the championship division and three athletes competed in the open race. In the championship race, Sandy Dukat took first place in the above knee division with a time of 3:11:54. Despite not having his own bike and swimming without a wetsuit, Paul Martin took second place in the below knee division in 2:27:40. Competing in her second NYC triathlon, Jean Draper took second place in the below knee division in 3:16:07. Competing in the Les Autres division, Michael LaForgia took second place in a time of 3:32:53. Sarah Reinersten took third in the above knee division in 3:41:19. Sam Cila finished fourth in the upper extremity division. In the open division, Nick Roumonada (Below Knee) completed his first triathlon with a time of 3:04:04. Marcos Corti-Maderna also competed in the below knee open division in a time of 2:51:51.
All of the Team A Step Ahead athletes who competed in the championship division qualified to compete at the ITU World Triathlon Championships in September in Budapest, Hungary. Kim Fawcett (Above Knee) unfortunately did not complete the race due to mechanical problems with her bike.
Three Down, Five more Ironman Triathlons to Go On July 24, Jeff Glasbrenner (Below Knee) finished the third of his eight Ironman competitions he has planned for this year. Jeff completed Ironman Lake Placid in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State in a time of 13 hours and 55 minutes. Despite a hard rain during the swim which made the first loop of the bike course very slippery, stomach problems, and losing twelve pounds during the race, Jeff continued his quest to complete eight Ironman competitions this year. Up next for Jeff is Ironman Louisville on August 29.
Eastern Amputee Golf Tournament Kenny Bontz (Above Knee) and Danny Stein (Bilateral Below Knee) competed at the 24th Annual Eastern Regional Amputee Golf Championship in Downington, Pennsylvania. Kenny won the above knee division in the two-day tournament with a combined score of 159. Danny took second place in the bilateral division with a combined score of 165. Another Triathlon for Nick Roumonada Nick Roumonada (Below Knee) competed in his second triathlon on August 1 in Corona, New York. The sprint-distance triathlon consisted of a 400-meter pool swim, thirteen mile bike and a five kilometer run. Nick’s time of 1:20:07 placed him 70th overall out of 434 finishers and 11th place in his age group. Jack Ahrens Wins Age Group in Duathlon On July 17th, Jack Ahrens (Below Knee) of Vineland, NJ won his age group (55-59) at the Bridgeton, NJ Sunset Challenge Duathlon. He complete the two mile run and sixteen mile bike in 1:39.
Travels With A Step Ahead Patients
In late July, Shlomo Nimrodi (Above Knee) embarked on an eight-day bicycle trip in Italy. Shlomo and his wife spent five days in Riccone and three days in Chiante, cycling over 300 miles during the trip. While cycling, they climbed over 23,000 feet, including one day where they rode 100 kilometers while the temperature was over 109 degrees!
What does the future hold for prosthetics? The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded a contract for up to $34.5 million to the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, to test a prosthetic limb that can be controlled by the brain on human subjects. To read more about neural integration of prosthetics, go to the following link:
The ASPIRE Support Group meetings are on the last Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm at the Hospital for Special Surgery located at 535 East 70th Street, NY. For more information about the ASPIRE support group meetings, contact Charlie Steele at charlieatl@aol.com or (212) 877-7050.
New York-Presbyterian Hospital Amputee Education and Support Group Every first Friday of the month 10:00-12:00 PM. Milstein Hospital 8 Garden North Dayroom (8th floor rehab unit) Milstein Hospital Building 177 Fort Washington Ave. For more information contact Sharon Clark at 212-305-3964
Rusk Rehab Amputee Support Group (34th Street/1st avenue) meets the last Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM. For more information about the Rusk Rehab Support Group contact Dr. Jeff Heckman at 631-873-6223 or by email at: jtheckman@yahoo.com
The Long Island Amputee Support Group meets the first Saturday of each month at South Side Hospital, 301 East Main Street in Bayshore. Contact Jodi Adler at 631-968-3330.
For more information on amputee support groups around the country go to http://www.amputee-coalition.org/npn_about.html
 Amputee Coalition of America’s Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp Celebrates Another Successful Year
Goal of 100 Campers Was Reached
Knoxville, Tennessee, August 2, 2010 – The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) held another successful camp session last week, sending 100 campers to the Amputee Coalition of America’s Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp in Clarksville, Ohio. More than $180,000 was raised by the ACA to send the children, ages 10-17, from 33 states and one foreign country to the camp.
“We had tremendous success raising funds for the camp this year. People have given generously after seeing the difference the camp makes for these children. By working with children’s hospitals, industry partners, ACA members, support groups and other healthcare providers, the youth camp was at 100 percent capacity this summer. This doubled our enrollment from last year,” said Marshall J. Cohen, chairman of the Amputee Coalition’s Board of Directors. “Our Pebble Parties across the country have raised many of the funds, and we thank all those who donated.”
The 5-day summer camp offered a full range of activities that included fishing, swimming, zip lining, canoeing, theater, dance, archery and more. A unique aspect of this program, according to Cohen, is that campers were not accompanied by their parents, which inspired campers to take on new challenges, be independent, test themselves, and build new friendships in a supportive, caring environment.
“Parents have already reported to us that their campers left camp with higher self-esteem and more self-confidence,” said Cohen. “And that’s what it’s all about.”
With an exciting new performing arts program, the 2010 camp offered the children a drama course taught by a professional actress. Hollywood actress Bianca Kajlich, star of CBS’ Rules of Engagement, designed and taught acting classes specifically designed for the camp. Bianca’s brother, Andre, who had both legs amputated after a train accident in Prague, was a camp counselor.
The camp was held at the Joy Outdoor Education Center between Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. All expenses and airfare were covered for the campers by the ACA.
To learn more about the camp and to donate to support the 2011 program, visit Amputee Coalition of America’s Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp.
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