UNIVERSITY PARK ? In order to walk again, Jay Thomas, 28, let doctors amputate his left leg.
A diabetic, Thomas had barely left an Allentown hospital bed for three months at the end of 2003. That January, doctors told him an artificial leg could increase his chances of walking.
?Where do I sign up?? he said he told them. ?I just want to stand again.?
He joined about 10 other athletes with physical disabilities Sunday morning inside the Penn State Multi- Sport Facility to showcase the university?s Ability Athletics program to about 30 community members.
Now in its 12th year, the program offers year-round sports training to people of all ages with disabilities, said director Teri Jordan.
They include Thomas, who is able to walk but likes to play recreational wheelchair basketball.
Jordan, the former Penn State women?s track and field coach, trains athletes five days per week with activities such as running, weight lifting, swimming, biking and playing basketball.
Whether they?re training for the 2012 Paralympics, which will be held in London, or just playing recreation-ally, Jordan said she coaches them just like any other athlete.
?I expect them to be on time and self-disciplined,? Jordan said. ?And when you expect a lot, you get a lot.?
New start
The program has helped several professional paraplegic athletes get their start, including Iraq War veteran Kortney Clemons, 31, and polio survivor Maggie Redden, 26, who both attended Sunday?s event.
Clemons lost his right leg in 2005, after a bomb exploded while he was serving in Baghdad.
?Someone tried to take my life, but it didn?t stop me. I?m still here today. It?s awesome to get a second chance,? Clemons said. ?Some people don?t get one.?
He now uses a prosthetic leg, which is tattooed with an American flag and the first letter of the last names of the three people who were killed in the bombing.
He won the 100-meter race at the 2008 U.S. Paralympics Track and Field National Championships and is training for the 2012 games.
In addition to training, the 2008 Penn State graduate is earning a master?s degree in curriculum and instruction at the University of Kansas.
Redden, who graduated from Penn State in 2007, works in the university?s athletic communications office.
She was on the 2008 Paralympic track and field team, traveling to Beijing to compete as a wheelchair racer.
?It?s eye-opening for people to see what we can do,? Redden said. ?People don?t realize how athletic and strong we are.?
Not just Paralympians
In addition to working with athletes like Clemons and Redden, Ability Athletics offers recreational instruction.
?Not everyone has to be a Paralympic athlete,? Jordan said. ?One door closes and another opens ? I?m just showing them the other door.?
Penn State's athletic office pays for Jordan's salary and Ability Athletics gets the rest of its funding from donors and groups such as the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Jordan said.
Like most other coaches, Jordan is always looking for new recruits.
In town for the 2006 Orange Bowl, she approached Thomas, in the West Palm Beach, Fla., airport after noticing his wheelchair and told him about Ability Athletics.
Thomas then began commuting each Wednesday from Allentown, where he was attending Penn State Lehigh Valley, to State College to play wheelchair basketball.
He later transferred to University Park and is pursuing a degree in rehabilitation and human services while working part time at Walmart. He said he wants to be like Jordan and help train other people like him.
?I?m driven to show people that no matter what happens to you, life goes on,? Thomas said. ?It?s not that bad.?
For more information about Penn State?s Ability Athletics program, visit www.athletics.psu.edu/ability.
Source: http://www.centredaily.com/2011/09/26/2927871/psu-program-helps-athletes-adapt.html
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