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| Oscar Pistorius and the Search for the Athletic Heart |
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| He has it, will his successors need it? |
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This is Dark Cloud on Wednesday, May 21, 2008. Years ago I joyfully ridiculed blind people, which produced the predictable reaction among all those always prepared to be offended on behalf of others. The issue back then was a blind guy trying for some sailing record or other. My point was that with all the technology aboard to compensate for his limitations, it wasn’t all that impressive and, in any case, be of no moment to other blind folks who could not afford what he could in an endeavor of dubious importance to anyone. He opted out later and deprived the world media of a dramatic at sea rescue where others would have to risk their lives to save his, at base, vanity. Later, when a blind guy – he is from Colorado – made it to the top of Everest, I dusted off my whines because he had a support team the size of CU football’s. This in no way was meant to denigrate his courage, grit, or skill but to point out that he, singular, hadn’t climbed Everest as Hilary had and he could not. It simply wasn’t the same thing at all. I’m fat and old and had I the money and interest, could hire a team of Sherpas to haul my lard butt up and carry me down, and that isn’t far removed from what some have actually done who claim to have climbed the world’s tallest mountain. The race to win something, anything, is strong, and the desire to enhance the lives of those handicapped should not suffer because of the vanities and ignorances of a few. This brings me to Oscar Pistorius. Pistorius was born with bad legs, and before his first birthday, they were amputated below the knee. Normally, you can hear the Windham Hill soundtrack as a television personality leads us on Oscar's inspiring tale to become, say, a teacher and his daily struggle to be just like everyone else. Until a decade ago, that would have been likely. A few years ago, though, the soundtrack would have been from the inspirational first Rocky movie, and would end showing him with artificial legs that allow him to play soccer with his four year old in the back yard, maybe play hoops with considerate neighbors in the driveway blacktop. But not this year. Oscar Pistorius, 21, has broken three world track records for disabled athletes and moved on to face the non-handicapped. He is racing to qualify for the 400 meters at this summer's Olympics, and if he can shave four-tenths of a second off his best time, he'll make it. Absorb this. A guy with two artificial legs could be on a regular Olympic team. He could even win. In January, the International Association of Athletics Federations declared his artificial limbs ineligible, and said they were better than human legs. But last Friday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned that decision, allowing his Olympic bid. This, despite expert opinion that the legs used by Pistorius is "a custom foot for track and field sports" with "optimal" sprinting ability, "superior functionality," and an "efficient energy return." As it happens, more efficient than the human leg. The technology is already pretty amazing, and it’s easily predictable that in a few years those equipped with state of the art artificial legs might clean the world’s clocks of those athletes who only use, say, illegal drugs and steroids. The reason the court gave is that while the legs might be superior to the human leg at sprinting in a straight line, they weren’t better at everything, like the turns, so could not constitute an overall advantage. Even so, it isn’t hard to believe that the day is not far off when those whom we call and hyphenate as handicapped will be retrofitted with the prefix ‘super.’ So, why are we so easily gulled into accepting inert artificial and kinetically superior robotic legs but not steroids, drugs, or regenerative drinks? And eventually, some stage parent will use the opportunity of a twisted ankle to have their three-year old kid’s limbs amputated so they can compete in the Olympics at a future date for parental glory. It is impossible not to like and admire and root for Oscar Pistorius. No computer makes his decisions and nobody else has to risk their life for his record. But what are the Olympics supposed to tally? The heart of the athlete or industrial marvels of his nation? Oscar’s got the heart, it's just that, in the immediate future, he might not even need it. |
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