concept2.com THE C.R.A.S.H.-B.S WELCOME ADAPTIVE ATHLETES very February for the past 29 years, rowers from program at Community Rowing, Inc., Spaulding all over the world have converged in Boston, Rehabilitation Hospital, the Paralympic Military EMassachusetts, for the C.R.A.S.H.-B. Sprints Program, and other local and international World Indoor Rowing Championship. In the early organizations rowed on Concept2 Indoor Rowers days, you could count the number of participants on that were adapted to meet their individual needs. a couple pairs of hands and feet, and none came from The adaptive events held at C.R.A.S.H.-B.s were farther away than they could drive. More recently, the 1000 meter sprints in four different classifications: numbers have swelled to the thousands and include Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES), Legs-Trunk- athletes from all corners of the globe who come to row Arms (LTA), Trunk-Arms (TA) and Arms-Shoulders 2000 meters on a cold New England Sunday. (AS). The C.R.A.S.H.-B.s originated in 1982 when a group of Four-time multisport Paralympian and Beijing bronze rowers, many of whom were current or former national medalist Laura Schwanger won the hammer in the team members, organized an indoor rowing race to Women’s AS division with a time of 5:09.0. Beijing help beat the winter training doldrums. They named Paralympians Ron Harvey and Emma Preuschl won themselves the Charles River All Star Has-Beens— the Men’s AS with a 4:11.2 time and Women’s LTA C.R.A.S.H.-B.s—and unsuspectingly birthed the world’s in 3:49.7, respectively. Shane Ryan of Limerick, premier indoor rowing regatta. Ireland, turned in the fastest time for the men’s LTA, This year, adaptive rowers were included in the 3:08.1. C.R.A.S.H.-B.s. Thirty-eight people from the adaptive For all C.R.A.S.H.-B. results, visit crash-b.org/results. Diane Pollack from Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Florida. Winners of the Men’s Open TA category. From l. to r.: Anthony Women’s Open LTA category, 5:20.4. Davis, 4:06.8; Augusto Perez, 4:01.6 and Laurent Piereth, 4:02.8. 2 concept2.com | 800.245.5676 ADAPTIVE CATEGORIES FOR CONCEPT2 ONLINE RANKING Concept2 introduced adaptive categories to the Online Ranking in the 2003–2004 season. Because adaptive rowing has grown in popularity, we are excited to be offering additional ranking categories created to attract and serve more populations of adaptive athletes. As of May 1, 2010, the Online Ranking adaptive classifications are as follows: Winners of Women’s Open AS category. From l. to r.: Lauren Silva, • AS: (Arms-Shoulders) class is for rowers who have 7:43.8; Beijing Paralympic bronze medalist Laura Schwanger, 5:09.0 no minimal trunk function (i.e. shoulder function and Jennifer Cloutier, 6:03.2. only). An AS class rower is able to apply force predominantly using the arms and/or shoulders. These athletes will likely also have poor sitting balance. • TA: (Trunk-Arms) class is for rowers who have functional use of the trunk but are not able to use the sliding seat to propel the boat because of significantly weakened function or mobility of the lower limbs. • LTA: (Legs-Trunk-Arms) class is for rowers who have functional use of their legs, trunk, and arms for rowing, and can utilize the sliding seat. This class is divided into the following sub- categories: 4SLAK Amp—single leg above the knee amputee 4 SLBK Amp—single leg below the knee amputee 4VI—visually impaired Winners of the Men’s Open LTA catagory. From l. to r.: Aron O’Dowd, 4ID—intellectual disability 3:30.4; Shane Ryan, 3:08.1 and Kevin Frost, 3:24.3. 4NMD—neuromuscular disease (Multiple Sclerosis, Cerebral Palsy and other similar ailments) 4GC—grip challenged (single or double arm amputee as well as someone with single or double grip disability) You can choose your sub-category when you set up your online logbook and create your profile. You may also edit an existing profile to add one of these new categories. In the rankings, the sub-category will be listed in a column titled LTA Category when LTA is selected as the ranking filter. If you know a rower who fits in any of these adaptive classifications, please let them know about this opportunity! Congratulations after the Men’s Open TA race between Francisco Lopez DeVictoria, 4:07.0, and Augusto Perez, 4:01.6. concept2.com | 800.245.5676 3 concept2.com BE INSPIRED e are lucky to have an incredible group of customers, many of whom take the time to write us about how Wrowing has helped them through health challenges. Their broad range of experience and perspective is a great source of inspiration to us. While these stories may not be typical, we’re excited to be a part of so many extraordinary moments. “I hit my two million meter goal in April 2009 and suffered from goal completion doldrums. For the last few months, my rowing has been more miss than hit. Two weeks ago, I decided to put my machine in the back of the truck, and while my son was doing swim practice, row in the parking lot behind the pool. My usual pace for my workouts is around 2:15/500 meters which typically gets me up to 140 bpm (age 55), a nice easy pace for me. That evening, a pace of 2:30 generated considerable discomfort in my chest that went away if I dropped down to 2:40/2:45 per 500. Not using my noodle like I should have, I finished 12,000 meters split over four sets. Over the next few days, I started thinking about what I had experienced while exercising. I saw my doctor and explained what had been going on. He sent me to Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, for a detailed stress test. I flunked the after-exercise part of the test, was admitted into the hospital immediately, met the cardiologist that afternoon, had an angiogram the next morning where one of my heart arteries was “Most of my meters were rowed after discovered to be practically blocked. A stent was inserted to open completing treatment for lymphoma, up the artery. including chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. The surgery Fortunately, my heart suffered no damage and the stent has removed 5% of my right lung and reopened the artery to its original diameter. I should have a the radiation scarred another 10% complete recovery. I’m convinced that if I had not been using your of both lungs. Thanks, Concept2 for indoor rower regularly over the first 2,000,000 meters as well as getting me into better shape than that night outside the pool, I might have missed the signs of an before my illness!” impending heart attack until such time that the results would have been much more drastic.” Mark A. Brown, Arizona Bill Cook, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 4 concept2.com | 800.245.5676 “In July 2009, I found out I had cancer and would need surgery, radiation and chemo. The answer to one of my first questions to the doctor; ’when can I row again after surgery?’ was eight weeks. Walking helped bridge the gap. When I started radiation in September, the Fall Rowing Challenge gave me incentive to row whatever amount of meters I could (which wasn’t too much!). Rowing some during the day gave me the energy to make it through the afternoon at work and then go to the hospital for evening treatments. Rowing was something I could control at a time when much was out of my control. Slowly, I started rowing more meters or would row with a bit more intensity. By the time radiation ended and chemo started, I was rowing “In 2003, I was diagnosed with ankylosing about four days a week. More incentive came with spondylitis, an auto-immune arthritis condition, the Holiday Challenge. In the past I normally rowed and was unable to walk for a period due to extreme over 200,000 meters in that challenge. This year I tendonitis in my feet. I spent a couple of months managed about 150,000 meters and, at the end of in a wheelchair just to avoid the pain of walking. November, I hit the 13 million meter mark for my After struggling with various forms of medication lifetime meters rowed. for three years I finally got things under control I believe that continuing to row during my cancer enough to take up an exercise plan in earnest. treatment gave me the strength to endure the I had always loved the Concept2 Indoor Rower and process physically and mentally. My time spent had married into a family of rowers, so I decided rowing allowed me to focus only on that rowing to buy an erg. I started hitting it pretty slowly, workout, and not dwell on this awful disease. but gradually found that as I worked out harder I It has been three months since my last treatment. felt stronger and the pain bothered me less. After I just completed over 200,000 meters for the team a season of steady ergwork and dieting, I was 40 World Rowing Challenge and am rowing faster pounds lighter and in the best shape of my life. and longer than I was a year ago.