Olympic Dreams

This is an article that was in the Birmingham News today, written by John Archibald. I love it for two reasons: 1) it pokes fun at the mayor of Birmingham for thinking we could EVER host the Olympic is the "Magic City" and 2) it mentions people I know (Josh and Carlos! Go for the gold!) and highlights the great things going on in Birmingham. Please enjoy...

Birmingham has true Olympians

The whole nation has had its laugh, at Birmingham's expense.

Funny. Funny.

Even the world got a snicker out of the city's dubious quest for Olympic glory.

"We need to start thinking big," Mayor Larry Langford told The New York Times, presumably with a straight face, as he sold the city as a host site for the 2020 Olympics.

So what if we don't have the resources, the mass transportation, the hotel rooms, the credit or the sports facilities to keep an SEC championship, much less an event that is the focus of the entire world?

We need to think big.

Yeah, yeah. Watching Langford on a national stage is like watching one of those tiny tot singers on "America's Funniest Home Videos." Sure, they are cute, for a minute. But you'd never hire one as your wedding singer - or to star in a Super Bowl halftime show.

Think big? Why not just think?

A city, a person, a politician cannot maintain credibility without embracing the laws of physics and the confines of reality. So forget Langford's plans: archery at Oak Mountain, canoeing in the Cahaba River, tennis at George Ward Park and shooting at - well, just follow the chalk outlines for that one.

Birmingham has an Olympic dream, but it is not Larry Langford's hallucination.

Birmingham's dream is on its way to China now, a contingent coming from Lakeshore Rehabilitation Center to represent the United States in the Paralympics, which begin Saturday.

If you want to know about thinking big, look at the 15 people from across Alabama who still work to overcome obstacles, even as they train to take on the world.

If you want to know about thinking big, look at these men and women:

Ron Williams of Birmingham survived bone cancer, but lost his left leg below the knee. He has since won cycling medals at two different Paralympic Games. He wants to make it three.

Mortimer Jordan grad Josh Roberts took up wheelchair track and field events only a year ago, but he was selected to compete in Beijing.

Competitive shooter Mike Dickey of Trafford shot a perfect score to earn a spot on the U.S. team this year.

Jennifer Schuble represents the U.S. on the cycling team. Carlos Leon, who lives in Birmingham, competes in the discus and shot put, as does Birmingham's Scott Winkler.

Two-time Paralympian Bryan Kirkland leads the U.S. wheelchair rugby team against the world, while 18-year-old Joel Wilmoth becomes the youngest member of that team.

Stephanie Wheeler, Alana Nichols, Jacob Counts and Mary Allison Milford will compete in basketball, Mallerie Badgett in track and field.

Aimee Bruder, a 4-foot-10 swimmer with cerebral palsy, has competed in five Paralympic Games. Jen Armbruster began losing her sight at age 14 and was completely blind by 1992, but she serves as the captain of the U.S. Goalball team.

That is already bigtime.

Birmingham does not need to compete for the Olympics to feel good about itself. All it has to do is look at the strong and courageous people it sends to Beijing. John Archibald's column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Write him at: jarchibald@bhamnews.com