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Show 6 THE GREEN SHEET Thursday, Aug. 18, 1988 SPORTS Courage, Hard Training Will Send Area Woman To Seoul by Michael T. Carroll Green Sheet Staff Writer HOLLADAY. At first glance she look like an Olympic hopeful. doesnt Perhaps its the wheelchair. Yet after a short talk with the woman with the big smile and boisterous laugh, you begin to realize she possesses many of the qualities equated with Olympic athletes. She has the inner courage to overcome hardships and to push herself to the limit. She has the dedication to train regularly. She has that tremendous drive to compete and win. Then if you go one step further and watch her race, you realize she has the strength and athlete. ability of a The only thing she lacks is two dark-haire- d world-clas- s good legs. When the worlds best amateur athletes gather in Seoul, South Korea for the Summer Olympics, Sharon Frenette will be there. Shell be there, however, to compete in a different set of Olympic games. Frenette will be Seoul in for the 1988 The National Wheelchair Athletic Assn, chose her to represent the United States in the 10K and marathon events because of her proven ability as roadracer. The are held every four years and consist of 19 different events for wheelchair, cerebral palsy, blind and amputee athletes. The Seoul games will take place in October, just after the Summer Olympics, using all the same venues. According to Judy Einbinder, head coach for the U.S. track and field team, more than 3,000 athletes are expected to participate. Frenette will be one of 477 U.S. athletes Para-Olympic- s. Para-Olympi- going. A Salt Lake native and graduate of Skyline high school, Frenette is considered one of the top wheelchair racers in the United States. In just a few years she progressed from a local weekend to "runner" a figure at national events, where she is often an invited competitor. And while Frenette was always a fierce competitor, she was not always in a wheelchair. Frenette lost the use of her legs and a chance at a professional skiing career as the result of an automobile accident in Little Cottonwood Canyon. She had just been invited to ski the Womens tour so she was training hard. After a tough day of March skiing at Snowbird, Frenette was driving the winding road down Little Cottonwood Canyon when she fell asleep at the wheel. "They were just going to send me home after the accident," said Frenette. Her body hurt, but her legs worked and she showed no visible signs of serious injury. Her friends, who saw the crash from their car, demanded paramedics take her to the hospital. It was a demand that probably saved her well-know- n Pro-Cu- p life. When doctors finally examined Frenette in the emergency room, they discovered that her aorta was severed, cutting the blood supply to her spine. Doctors rushed her to surgery for an operation very few people survive. They saved her life, but the prolonged lack of blood to her spinal cord cost her the use of her legs. "I dont blame anybody, it was my own fault," said Frenette shouldering responsibility for the accident. With the support of her family, friends and a doctor who brought her pizza after his Sharon rounds, Frenette began the process of rehabilitation. Determined to overcome her disability and get back into the mainstream of life, Frenette was soon getting around almost as well as before the accident. "Half Taylorsville Legion Eyes Fund-Raiser i MURRAY. The Taylorsville American Legion organization will sponsor a fund raiser golf tournament on Saturday, Sept. 3, at Murray Parkway golf course, 6345 So. 1200 West, to benifit the American Legion Taylorsville baseball team. Continuous tee-off- s will start at 11 a.m. The entry fee will be $20 and includes green fees, drinks and prizes. All entries must be in by Tuesday, Aug. 30. Signups can be mailed in payable to Taylorsville American of care Legion, American Golf, 2537 Legion Easton St., Salt Lake City, Utah 84118. Prizes will include $100 for first place and $100 for a with questions is Anyone encouraged to direct them to Bill or Jan Deluca at "hole-in-one- 969-745- 2. ." the time my friends would get into the car and forget my chair was Frenette with a laugh. At the urging of a friend who raced locally, Frenette started wheelchair racing. A healthy active young woman before her accident, Frenette knew she needed cardiovascular conditioning even though she was in a wheelchair. So mostly for health reasons, she began running local 5K events. Soon, however, she began to take the sport more seriously. 'T began to realize I was and these fourth competitive place finishes werent enough," said Frenette. She began to attend more races and increased her training schedule. As her conditioning improved, so did her times. In 1985 she bought her racing chair. "I really liked it and got even more competitive," says Frenette. If you think wheelchair racing is easy, think again. Wheelchair racing on a world class level is an expensive, grueling sport. A custom racing chair costs $2,000 or more, and then there is the expense of traveling to big races. As for training, weekend running doesnt cut it To compete and win a wheelchair athlete must train athletes. as hard as A local company recently recognized Frenettes ability and offered to sponsor her to several major events. Hoggan Health Industries, a fitness equipment manufacturer located in Draper, first hi-te- able-bodie- d covered most of her expenses to the Boston Marathon last April and will sponsor her to Seoul this summer. "I think Sharon represents the ideals of the people who work at Hoggan. She has the drive and motivation to accomplish anything she wants to," said Len of Health Smith Hoggan Industries. "Shes had some obstacles in her life, , shes Cable-Brook- s sponsorship to "She eats, sleeps and lives to train," said Frenette with a smile. of handicapped Acceptance athletes like Frenette by other athletes has been slow, and is still in many places. Happily though, athletes and race organizers are beginning to realize the tremendous effort put forth by handicapped athletes. More and more races are beginning to offer recognition and rewards similar to those offered to runners. "A lot of times Im an invited runner, so I eat and sleep with the other runners," said Frenette. "Still today, you dont get the recognition of runners, but I dont worry a whole lot about it because I feel one day well be treated able-bodie- d non-exista- nt able-bodie- able-bodie- d d equally." For the first time indoor wheelchair be will racing presented as an exhibition sport at the Summer Olympics and broadcast live. The exhibition will feature an 800 meter race for women and a 1500 meter event for men. Medals will be awarded to the top finishers just like other Olympic events, said Coach Einbinder. Frenette is not likely to compete in the exhibition because she races longer distances. While winning a gold medal will certainly be on Frenettes mind, she still keeps the sport in its proper perspective. "Some girls will do anything to win, said Frenette. "They dont understand that the sport is not all competition. I enjoy meeting the people, they come from all over." This October should give her a chance to meet a lot of people. SEOUL BOUND.. Headed for the Paralympics In Seoul this fall is Holladay resident Sharon Frertette. She will be among 477 United State Athletes who will compete in wheelchair events. The Salt Lake native lost the use of her legs in an automobile accident as she was competing for a spot on . her comthat discovered she and however, petitive spirit, theres much more to racing a wheelchair than one in such events as might imagine. She has competed the Boston Marathon. Sharons story is a profile in courage and determination that few can rival. the U. S. ski team. The injury did not quell overcome them, shes a winner." As with any competitive sport, winning helps racers finance their efforts. with the Along sponsorship winning can bring, some larger races present money to the top finishers. This year, for example, the Boston Marathon awarded $7,000 for first place and $1,000 for second place in the female wheelchair division. Often, however, the award is less for wheelchair racers than for runners. "What I make racing I put back into the sport - thats where it came from and thats what it should be used for," explained Frenette. Through winning and sponsorship, Frenette hopes to eventually cut back on her e job and begin training even harder, because winning , major races takes more than a wheelchair and desire. It takes strength and stamina developed rigorous through Frenette training. currently trains at least six days a week, includes which running an average of 60 miles in her wheelchair every week. Frenette has also found that running is not enough. "In a race in Tampa, I came in second and everybody again said youre not strong enough," said Frenette. Armed with that critisism she added more hill climbing and a weight training program to her already busy able-bodie- d -- full-tim- Fun Show '88 coming to ZCMI! See spectacular and unique exhibits constructed entirely of LEGO brand building bricks tomorrow through August 30 at our South Towne store. h - - schedule. Three evenings each week Frenette works out at the Salt Lake Fitness Center under the supervision of fitness consultant Mike Lambert. "Shes made a lot of gains since shes been here," said Lambert. "Ive had a good time working with Sharon. Its great to work with someone as up as she is. She takes her disability as given and makes her life the best it can be." a program for Developing Frenette took a little more her consideration because disability restricts the types of exercise she can do. "I sat down and asked her what parts of the body she thought were important, and I began to realize every time you do a downstroke the whole body comes into play," said Lambert. The program Lambert developed is designed to give Frenette a full uppei oody workout, which includes work for her arms, chest and back. She has worked her way up from doing single sets to three sets of doing repetitions. "I think shes got all the bulk she needs now so I work on endurance," said Lambert about the direction of Frenettes training. The extra training is beginning to pay off for Frenette. Two years ago she took fourth place at the Boston Marathon; this year she -- World famous landmarks on display at the LEGO International Fun Show See intricate models which depict some of the most famous landmarks in the worid-T- he Statue of Liberty, Italy's Leaning Tower of Pisa, St. Basil's Cathedral in Russia and more. Your little architects can create their own masterpiece at one of the LEGO children's play tables at the displays. Save on all LEGO and DUPLO building brick sets during our shows! Because of this special promotion, save 20 on every LEGO or DUPLO building brick set In our Toys department during the show only. There's a kit designed for every age group including some with electrical power packs for older children. The story of LEGO . . . The word "Lego' is actually the combination of two Danish words "leg godt meaning to "play well'. First manufactured in Denmark in 1 954, there are now 1 3 types of LEGO colorful bricks of made building c to plastic exacting specifications and they can be joined in nearly 103 million ways. Come see why they're one of the most popular toys in the world! non-toxi- Cable-Brooks- ." Unlike Frenette, LEGO prizes! Guess the number of LEGO building bricks in the Russian First 9, Saturday Cathedral prize - $50 worth of LEGO products! Second prize - $30 worth of LEGO products! Third prize $20 worth of LEGO products! Toys Shop weekdays 10-- St. Basil on display now at our South Towne store and win one of these prizes: - 10-1- 2 took second. "Theres one girl I cant beat," she said. "Her name is Candis Heres your chance to win one of three great 10-- 7 |