Adaptive Athletes LEVELED BOOK • Z a Reading A–Z Level Z Leveled Book Word Count: 2,047 Adaptive Athletes
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Adaptive Athletes LEVELED BOOK • Z A Reading A–Z Level Z Leveled Book Word Count: 2,047 Adaptive Athletes Written by David Dreier Visit www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com for thousands of books and materials. Photo Credits: Front cover: © Chen Xiaowei/Xinhua Press/Corbis; back cover: © Lo Ping Fai/ Xinhua/Landov; title page: © Ng Han Guan/AP Images; page 3 (main): © Xinhua/ Adaptive Landov; page 3 (inset): © Geoff Caddick/PA/AP Images; page 4: © Li Ziheng/ Xinhua Press/Corbis; page 5: © Bob Daemmrich/Corbis; page 6, 7: © TopFoto/The Image Works; page 8: © Andy Wong/AP Images; page 9: © Katsumi Kasahara/ AP Images; page 10: © Julesunlimited/Dreamstime.com; page 11: © REUTERS/ Athletes David Bebber; page 12: © REUTERS/LOCOG; page 13: © Zhang Duo/Xinhua Press/ Corbis; page 14 (left): © Han Chuanhao/Xinhua/Landov; page 14 (right): © Eugene Hoshiko/AP Images; pages 15 (left), 17: © REUTERS/Claro Cortes IV; page 15 (right): © REUTERS/Grace Liang; page 16: © Matt Dunham/AP Images; page 18: © Lin Yiguang/Xinhua/Landov; page 19: © Bob Daemmrich/The Image Works; page 20: © Wang Lei/Xinhua/Landov; page 21: © Heathcliff O’Malley/Rex Features/AP Images; page 22: © Paul Sakuma/AP Images; page 23: © PA Photos/Landov Front cover: Joey Johnson of Canada breaks through in the gold medal match of men’s wheelchair basketball between Australia and Canada at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Back cover: British dressage rider Felicity Coulthard rides horse Roffelaar during the Individual Freestyle Equestrian Event of the 2008 Paralympic Games where she won the Silver Medal. Title page: China’s Hu Daoliang (left) fences with the United State’s Scott Rodgers during a match at the 2008 Paralympic Games. Table of Contents: (main) the logo design of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London (inset) one of the special coins designed to honor all the sports to be contested in the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in London. Written by David Dreier Adaptive Athletes Level Z Leveled Book Correlation © Learning A–Z LEVEL Z Written by David Dreier Fountas & Pinnell U–W All rights reserved. Reading Recovery N/A DRA 50 www.readinga-z.com www.readinga-z.com Young dancers perform for the crowd during the Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, China. Introduction People.have.always.admired.athletes,. particularly.those.special.few.who.achieve.. a.competitive.level.of.ability.in.a.sport..We. admire.natural.talent.as.well.as.an.ability.to. compete.and.win.under.pressure..But.even. athletes.gifted.with.superior.talent.must.sharpen. Table of Contents their.skills.with.practice..Each.athlete.typically. Introduction............................................................... .4 spends.years.developing.the.ability.to.run.faster,. swim.farther,.or.throw.a.ball.more.accurately— History.of.the.Paralympics...................................... .6 always.striving.to.be.the.best. The.2012.Summer.Olympics.and.Paralympics.. in.London................................................................. .10 Athletic.skill.comes.in.many.different.forms.. Swimmers,.runners,.and.basketball.players.are. At.the.Top.of.Their.Game...................................... .14 athletes..So.are.weight.lifters,.equestrians,.or. Oscar.Pistorius......................................................... .16 bicyclists. Blind.Athletes.......................................................... .18 Many.athletes.who.have.a.physical.or.mental. Exoskeletons............................................................ .21 disability.are.top.competitors,.too..For.years,. rules.kept.most.of.these.disabled.athletes.from. Achieving.Excellence.............................................. .23 their.highest.goal—Olympic.competition..The. Glossary.................................................................... .24 Paralympic.Games.brings.them.to.center.stage! Adaptive Athletes • Level Z 3 4 History of the Paralympics The.idea.of.Olympic.Games.originated.in. ancient.Greece,.where.athletic.contests.were.held. every.four.years.from.the.700s.bc,.and.perhaps. earlier..The.games.were.stopped.by.a.ruling. Roman.emperor.in.ad.393..More.than.1,500. years.later,.the.Olympics.were.officially.revived... Two.hundred.forty-one.athletes.from.fourteen. countries.met.in.Athens,.Greece,.to.compete.in. forty-three.events.. Prawat Wahoram of Thailand (right) at the finish line of the men’s T54 The.first.Paralympics.began.about.fifty.years. 5,000-meter race of the 2008 Bejing Paralympics. He won in 10 minutes, later..They.grew.out.of.a.program.in.Great. 22.38 seconds. Kurt Fearnley of Austria (left) finished second. Britain.to.rehabilitate.British.veterans.of.World. In.1960,.athletes.with.physical.disabilities.were. War.II.who.had.spinal.injuries.from.combat..The. able.to.compete.in.the.first.Parallel.Olympics,.or. program.was.the.idea.of.a.British.neurologist,.. Paralympics..The.participants.in.these.Games.. Sir.Ludwig.Guttmann. are.known.as.adaptive athletes..Some.adaptive. athletes.are.missing.arms.or.legs,.while.others. must.use.wheelchairs.for.mobility..Some.have. limited.vision.or.complete.blindness..These.elite. athletes.have.shown.that.with.desire.and.hard. training,.almost.any.physical.limitation.can.be. overcome..Even.if.you.are.in.a.wheelchair,.you. can.compete.and.excel.in.many.sports.. The.2012.Paralympics,.held.in.London,.will. Japan’s Crown Prince Akihito (lower left) and Princess Michiko listen to Dr. put.the.talents.of.these.outstanding.adaptive. Ludwig Guttmann address the competitors at the opening ceremonies of athletes.in.the.spotlight.for.all.the.world.to.see. the 1964 Games in Tokyo, Japan. Adaptive Athletes • Level Z 5 6 Guttmann’s.goal.was.to.eventually.make.his. In.1989,.the.International.Paralympic. competition.into.a.prestigious.event.equivalent. Committee.(IPC).was.founded.in.Germany.to. to.the.Olympics..That.is.exactly.what.happened.. oversee.the.Paralympic.movement.and.organize. Nations.around.the.world.joined.the.Paralympics. the.Games..Its.mission.is.“to.enable.Paralympic. movement.. athletes.to.achieve.sporting.excellence.and.inspire. and.excite.the.world.”. The.first.official. Paralympic.Games. In.2001,.the.IPC.forged.an.agreement.with.the. were.held.in.1960,.. International.Olympic.Committee.(IOC)..The.two. in.Rome,.Italy,.just. organizations. after.the.Rome. ruled.that.the.city. Summer.Olympics.. hosting.the. Olympics.would. Those.1960. also.host.the. Games.included. Paralympics..This. about.400.athletes. had.already.been. from.23.nations.. done.with.six. They.competed.. Paralympics,.but. in.eight.events,. the.agreement. including.archery,. now.made.it. fencing,.swimming,. mandatory. and.basketball. The.Paralympics. Athletes from the United States and movement.grew. Israel compete in wheelchair basketball at the 1960 Games, held in Rome, Italy. from.there..Summer. and.Winter.Paralympic.Games.have.since.been. Philip Craven, president held.every.four.years,.usually.in.the.same.city.as. of the International Paralympic Committee, the.Olympics. takes part in the 2008 Paralympic torch relay. Adaptive Athletes • Level Z 7 8 The.Paralympics.has.six.categories.of. The 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics participation:.amputee,.cerebral.palsy,.intellectual. in London disability,.wheelchair,.visual.impairment,.and.. The.2012.London.Paralympic.Games.will.be.. les autres..The.term.autres.is.French.for.“the. a.huge.event,.with.more.than.4,000.athletes.from. others.”.This.category.includes.athletes.with. at.least.150.countries.participating..The.dates.for. disabilities.that.do.not.fall.into.the.other.five. the.Paralympic.Games.are.August.29.through. groups..Within.each.category,.athletes.are. September.12,.after.the.Olympics.conclude.. classified.by.relative.ability.to.compete. Athletes.will.compete.in.503.events.in.21.sports.. A.number.of.Paralympic.athletes.have. Bringing.the.Olympics.and.Paralympics.to. distinguished.themselves..Trischa.Zorn,.a.blind. London.was.quite.a.competition.in.itself..In.a. American.swimmer,.is.the.most.decorated. lengthy.bidding.process,.nine.rival.cities.were. Paralympian.in.history..From.1980.to.2004,.she. reduced.to.five.finalists:.London,.Madrid,. won.55.medals,.41.of.them.gold..The.most. Moscow,.New.York,.and.Paris. decorated.athlete.in.the.Winter.Games.is.polio. patient.Ragnhild.Myklebust.of.Norway..In.cross- For.a.while,.it.looked.as.though.Paris.was.the. country.races,.relays,.the.biathlon,.and.ice.sledge. frontrunner,.with.London.in.second.place..But.as. racing.from.1988.through.2002,.she.won.22. the.evaluations.continued,.London’s.chances.of. medals,.17.of.them.gold. getting.the.Games.gradually.improved. Medal Moscow champ London Trischa Zorn Paris (left front), during New York Madrid training for the 2000 Paralympics held in Sydney, Australia. Adaptive Athletes • Level Z 9 10 Olympic Park, site of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in London. Clockwise from lower left: The Velodrome, Basketball Arena, and Athlete’s village (upper left), Aquatics Center (top left), Olympic Stadium (top right), In.July.2005,.the.IOC.conducted.four.ballots.. Handball Court (center right), and the Riverbank Arena (lower right). to.decide.the.winner..The.first.three.ballots. eliminated.Moscow,.Madrid,.and.New.York,. The.Olympic.and.Paralympic.Games.use.the. leaving.London.and.Paris..In.the.final.ballot,. same.venues,.or.facilities,.built.in.East.London.. London.received.fifty-four.votes,.with.Paris. The.centerpiece.of.the.venues.is.the.new.80,000- getting.fifty..The.Games.were.going.to.London!. seat.Olympic.Stadium,.located.within.an.area. This.would.be.the.third.Olympics.for.London,.but.