Despite the many drawbacks of Covid-19, I actually benefited from it this summer. Normally the Angel City Games are held in Los Angeles, California,, and it is very costly to travel there from the Midwest. Because they had their first ever virtual games, I was able to participate. I met Clayton Frech, the founder and CEO of Angel City Sports, on a Facebook amputee support group where he explained the ins and outs of the games. After raising his son Ezra, who has some physical limitations, he was inspired to start the organization. His goal is to make sports more accessible to people with disabilities and provide them with adaptive equipment so they're not left out of the game so to speak.
Once I heard more about Clayton's amazing vision to grow his organization, I knew I had to get more involved. He invited me to be one of the athletes for the virtual games, and I set a goal of raising $500. In return for exercising an hour each day, I asked people to donate any amount they were comfortable with. I was overwhelmed by the support! In one short week, I had met my fundraising goal and was able to keep my exercise promise. Here was my breakdown of activities for the week:
Day One- Running (although I have to admit that I didn't make it for the full hour because my stump hurt a lot). If you read my book, you know that I'm not a runner. I had to go at a snail's pace to even get somewhat close to my goal.
Day Two- Swimming. I've never swam laps for that long before, and by the end, I was both exhausted and famished! It brought me back to my childhood where I would come home from an afternoon at the pool and raid the refrigerator. Man, did my shoulders BURN after that!
Day Three- Kayaking on Lake Cumberland! My family and I had a blast with this! Gabriella, my 7-year-old, learned how to steer and maneuver the single person kayak that we were sharing. It was a tight fit, and there were a few times when she was rowing that I thought we were going to tip over and get drenched. Good thing I took my prosthesis off!
Day Four- Biking on the Loveland Bike Trail. Although it was HOT this day, I was so proud of my daughter for completing 10 miles. I know I wasn't riding that far when I was her age. I carried my 3-year-old daughter, Eliza, on the back of my bike, which added some extra weight. We stopped midway to get a smoothie at a local shop. We each got different flavors so we could try them all.
Day Five- Hiking at a local state park. I was so excited to have my friend Jackie join me on this hike. She lives two hours away, so we had plenty of time to catch up. We got a little lost on the trail, so we ended up hiking a bit more than an hour- haha. I also had to stop a couple times to dump the sweat out of my leg. Even in the shade, 96 degrees is HOT!
Day Six- Tennis. My husband and I used to play tennis together all the time. However, now that we have kids, it's gotten a bit harder to keep up with it. They're just starting to get old enough to entertain themselves while we play. The girls rode scooters while I relived my high school glory days and gave Bob a run for his money (especially on my backhand cross court shot). I still got it... sort of :)
Day 7- Walk. By this time in the week, I was pretty sore, so I decided to keep it simple and take my new puppy for a walk. The picture in this post shows him sleeping with his tongue out because he was so tried afterward. He's sure cute, but boy does he act up when he has too much energy. The old adage is true: a good dog is a tired dog.
Overall, I think my first Angel City Virtual Games was a success. I say first because there will definitely be a next. I know the $500 that was raised will be put to good use and will greatly impact someone's life. If you want to know more about Angel City Sports or want to donate to their cause, visit their website.