Paralympic Training by Angela

Paralympic training Current mood: tired Category: Sports
So training is going well. I want to thank and acknowledge those who have stepped up to the plate and supported our boat. We are the USA TA2X which is comprised of Scott Brown USA and Angela Madsen USA. I wished I had gone to this gym a lot sooner but I was busy trying to find a place to live. It is better late than never though and finally we are training like elite athletes. I had mentioned that we now had a trainer and a gym but did not disclose any details of how that came to be. My roommate Michelle and I were headed down the street and I saw a woman who looked like a trainer and looked like she had just come from the gym just down the street. I actually stopped her and asked if she knew where the accessible entrance was, or if there even was one at that particular health club. She did not know but actually took the time to walk back to the gym with us to inquire. She came out with a health club employee and we were shown the accessible entrance. I shared some of my story with her and she took great interest in helping us out. She volunteered to work with us as a trainer and if everything else had not worked out the way it had, we would have taken her up on her offer. If anyone wants to give her a shout out her name is Debbie Schafer. She is a local artist here in Philadelphia. Her website is www.artgirl.com e-mail info@artgirl.com
I had the pleasure of spending a little bit of time with her and shared more of the Rowoflife journey with her. I watched a video of her doing performance art. She is an awesome artist.
Once inside the gym I met with Irene Trantas, fitness service manager. I told her about the lack of professional training opportunities for elite Paralympic athletes in our sport and about our lack of funding and support. I cannot speak about other Paralympic sports. I only know what's going on in Adaptive rowing. She immediately met with management at the Philadelphia Sports clubs and got us each a months membership and a trainer. Irene also deserves a big shout out. I want to encourage everyone to drop these folks a line thanking them for there support. E-mail Irene.trantas@town-sports.com
I don't want to talk about the ones who couldn't step up and make these essentials happen for us but I do want to make sure we recognize the ones who have.
Fran Fulton franfulton@verizon.net from Liberty Resources. www.libertyresources.org took me in for a couple of days and helped me find a place to live.
Michelle McCandless Michelle1803@yahoo.com my roommate. Michelle is going into the hospital for surgery on the 19th. Please put her on your prayer lists.
Then there are the volunteers at PRPD Philadelphia Rowing Program for Disabled and Jeff Mcginess who help us boat out 2 times per day.
The carousel house where I volunteered during the day between rowing sessions is a pretty cool place to hang with the kids. Working the kids camps was a lot of fun. It was time well spent the kids are awesome. I think my favorite part was the talent show at the end of the week. Hanging with the kids, staff and volunteers made being so far from home much more tolerable. e-mail Carouselpa@aol.com
I have presented and spoken to a few groups and schools in the local area.
I actually was on my way to a gig in New Jersey. I got part way there and realized it was the wrong day. I pulled into a Famous Dave's BBQ and decided to eat lunch. It was there that I met a photo journalism student named Kate Ruch. I shared my story with her and she volunteered her service. We have had a couple of sessions at the boathouse and the gym. E-mail tua69333@temple.edu
I know I usually blog about rigging details and about our times and more detailed workouts but I have to say, this Paralympic years blogs will not have such content. We are running silent and secret. We don't want to disclose too much info. For my friends who are worried I will row the Indian Ocean after Beijing I will disclose that I have ordered and received a great circle navigation chart of the Indian Ocean should I need it in the future!
Angela
Rowoflife.net

Race Results by Angela

AdaptiveRowing] Go Scott & Angela!!
from
Debbie Arenberg
Congratulations to Scott & Angela in their blazing Philadelphia Quaker City masters race this past weekend. Note their actual water finish times!! Yahoo!! Race 37, Mixed D-H 2x F/G Event 18 Final Water Water Place Lane Name Team Time Split Place Time 1 3 Redford Sargent Fairmount RA 4:04.36 1 4:37.26 2 2 Merry Jones Vesper BC B 4:11.90 7.54 2 4:39.3 1 Angela & Scott PRPD 4:16.87 12.51 4 4:48.07 4 4 Patrice Glover Swan Creek RC 4:17.84 13.48 3 4:47.44
In a field of able body rowers we did OK but we made a ton of mistakes and are not all that happy with this but that is why I am here. We have about one month more to train before going to Bejing. I worked yesterday on trying to find a gym and a trainer for us and may have come up with something? 24 hour fitness is one of US Rowings sponsors but they do not have a club within 50 miles of here. My training Stipen has pretty much already been spent on travel expenses and rent so there is really no money left over for anything else. Hmmm? roof over my head or gym & personal training? I am going with the roof and since I have already paid rent and parking upfront there really is no going back to the streets. No refunds! I am hoping to get a break and work a deal at a local fitness center that is located right next to the building where I am staying. I am not sure what anyone elses road to Beijing looks like but I can tell you mine is not paved.
Angela

My journey to Beijing and the Paralympics (by Angela)

I haven't written in a while and my friends have begun to worry about me. I could write an entire chapter on my experiance here so far but I am just going to summarize. I set out for Philladelphia quite a while ago and it has not been going so well. Some parts have gotten better and some things are just plain stressfull. For those who do not know, there is more to my life than being a disabled veteran, than ocean rowing, running an adaptive rowing program or even surfing. I have competed on our national adaptive rowing team since 2002 and my US rowing partner since 2002 is Scott Brown. Scott lives and works in Philadelphia. Since we don't recieve a great deal of money, sponsorship or support as disabled athletes I decided to relocate to Philadelphia for training with Scott. This enables Scott to remain employed while we train. We get on the water before he goes to work and then again after his work. It just seemed to make more sense than both of us leaving our home, our family and our work to train. Scott and his wife Sandy are appropriately appreciative of the sacrafices I have made for our national team and for our sport.I searched on Craigs list, called the Disabled Veterans Organizations, the Veterans Hospaital and even affiliate churches to my church in Long Beach to find an accessible room or apartment to rent here in Philly and had no success. After living in my van for almost 2 weeks I finally found a place to live. After spending 67 days in the small boat at sea with no plumbing, living in the van is a piece of cake. The van, by comparrison is a mansion with its many amenities , I could do it easily, but why?Not much help had been offered from anyone out here. At US Rowing Nationals in New Jersy US Rowing offered to let me shower at the boathouse. That was the only kind offer of assistance I had recieved from the rowing powers that be since embarking on my Journey to the Paralympics. My coach? who knows what is going on there? Sometimes, lately, I just want to get in my van and drive home. I have never quit or given less than 100% at anything in my life so that really is not an option! I made a commitment to my rowing partner and I am going to see it through no matter what! That pretty much summs it up for me.I know... usually I am Ms positive but sometimes it really does suck to be me! I don't know why it has to be this difficult? For the first time since my back surgery I can honestly say that I am feeling a bit depressed. I was thousands of miles from land in either direction on a small boat at sea with one man who did not speak my language and did not experiance, not even once, the kind of lonliness and isolation that this place has to offer. I miss my Partner Debbie, I miss my Family, I miss my Church, I miss my Friends, I miss my Home, I miss my ocean rowing boat (other home for most of the last year) I miss my friends and associates at California Paralysed Veterans Association. I have so many things I need to be doing like working on the book and documentary of the ocean crossing, remodeling my house, working on the rowoflife boat, getting back to the California Adaptive Rowing Program and even watching the grass grow. This is going to be a long three months. I am hoping to make it worthwhile by getting us onto the medal stand in Bejing. On another positive note:Thanks go out to Francis Fulton of Liberty Resources Center in Philadelphia who took me in for a couple of days and then helped me find an accessible place to live while I am here to train and to Michelle McCandless for accepting me as a roomate on short notice. These two people have extended hospitality and kindness to a complete stranger without any hesitation. They are my new heroes!Angela MadsenRowoflife.net

Even Madsen needs a Vacation

Surfing and Fishing in Hawaii, for a short break before leaving to Philly to train for the Paralympics. Photo is Angela dancing to the Polynesian music.

RowofLife Boat in Long Beach Pride Parade and more

RowofLife Boat in Long Beach Pride Parade
Photos Added 6/08 with Angela's Dad, Ronald Madsen, on the RowofLife boat in the Long Beach Pride Parade.

05/12/08 Original post date

The RowofLife Boat will be pulled in the Long Beach Pride Parade by the RowofLife Van on Sunday, 05/18/08. The special guests of RowofLife are Angela’s parents, Ronald and Betty Madsen. They are coming to visit on 05/13/08 and we are going to do lots of things with them, including participating in the Pride Parade with the RowofLife Boat. Boy About Town will be interviewing the Madsen’s in addition to many others from his Ocean Street Reporting location. Check out Boy’s Buzz, the hottest E-magazine around, at http://www.fabulousboyabouttown.com/

Also this week, Angela is being honored by the Long Beach City Council on Tuesday night. Thanks to Boy for bringing this all together.

Angela and I are going to Hawaii for a little R&R later in the month. Hopefully the surf will be good. After that Angela will be heading for Philadelphia to train for the Paralympics with her rowing partner, Scott Brown.

We will be updating Angela’s MySpace with some pictures very soon. Continue to check out http://www.rowoflife.net/

CARP is going strong, but we are always looking for differently abled people to row and anyone to Volunteer. Call Vicki and come on out. http://www.carp.net/

Debbie

Back up and Blogging!

Well, I was locked out of my blog for a few weeks. Apparently something happened with my blog that caused it to be flagged as spam. I had not heard anything of the review I requested, but now I can get on, so clearly the review showed that my blog is a bunch of Crap, but not Spam.

Debbie

Anglea and Debbie will be at this Screening and encourage you to come

I will be at the screening and will be available for Q&A. The Rowoflife boat may be on display at this event? should we be able to tow her through the parking structure to the roof, an adventure in itself!
Row Hard No Excuses Luke Wolbach
Run time: 88 min. USA A chronicle of the voyage of the only American entry in a rowing race across the Atlantic Ocean. It is both an exciting sports-adventure story and an intimate portrait of the two-man crew that explores masculinity, midlife and ambition. At 51 and 41, John Zeigler and Tom Mailhot are among the oldest competitors to participate in the 2001 Atlantic Rowing Challenge, a three thousand mile race from the Canary Islands to Barbados. They spend three years to make their dream of winning possible, but once on the water, their boat and their bodies don't respond as they'd imagined.
Movie: Row Hard No Excuses – Feature length Documentary·
Location: Edwards Islands Cinemas – Screen 6·
Time: 5:15 PM Date: Sunday, April 27th ·
Details and buy tickets: http://newportbeach.bside.com/2008/films/rowhardnoexcuses_newportbeach2008
NewportBeachFilmFest.com