Testimonials >Success Stories >Andy and Jake
North to Alaska
By Andy Roca, THSD Graduate
Photos attached
July 2, 2006
Every year around the end of June/start of July, 600 to 700 wheelchair athletes get together for the National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG). This year, it was held in Anchorage, Alaska, from July 3rd through July 8th. My wife Olga wanted to see Alaska, so why not, since most of the cost was paid for thanks to my volunteer hours for the Texas Paralyzed Veterans of America (TPVA)?
One of the first things you must understand is the logistics of moving a number of folks in their wheelchairs. Going up, we flew from San Antonio to Houston (1 hr), to Seattle (4 hrs), and then to Anchorage (3 hrs). At each stop, we changed planes. We started with 13 chairs in San Antonio and picked up 5 in Houston. We had 8 power chairs and the rest manual. The only way to get to your seat is with an aisle chair. At the aircraft entrance, transfer from wheelchair to the narrow aisle chair and then from the aisle chair to the plane seat. Getting off the plane, reverse the process. Lots of transferring going up to Alaska.
Jake, my Service Dog has become a seasoned traveler: a cruise, a 5,500 mile van trip around the country, two relatively short flights to Aspen, Colorado and now this long trip to Alaska. I don’t know if any of y’all have flown with your dog, but at times it can be a frustrating experience. We try to plan ahead and get bulkhead seats assigned for both Olga and me, which gives Jake plenty of room to stretch out in front of us. Sometimes, the info gets lost and we don’t have the seats. Now they have to do a bunch of shuffling so we can have the bulkhead seats. As a side note, on one flight to Colorado, the aircraft didn’t have bulkhead seats, so I got an aisle seat, Jake got the middle and Olga got the window. Worked out great. Jake didn’t have to pay for his seat (besides, they would not accept his paw print on the check). Jake slept the whole trip. On each leg, once we got settled in our seats, Jake was down for the count.
In summertime Alaska, sunset is around midnight. We arrived at the hotel around 11 pm (2 am our time), exhausted and ready to hit the rack. Only problem - it was daylight. They call it the Land of the Midnight Sun – about 21 hours of daylight during the summer. Closed the curtains and finally got to sleep.
July 3, 2006
We are loading up
Loaded up and ready to go. I’m the guy in the white shirt with Jake by my side. Before I go on, let me explain how we got around. Buses. From the hotel to the convention center, which was the focal point for everything. Then we’d change to another bus to get to the event in which we were participating. They definitely did it up right. Each bus had a lift and a bunch of positions for chairs that could be tied down. With the time it took to get everyone tied down, we had to get going early enough to get to our events on time. All in all it went very smoothly and it was fun.
Every bus stop had ramps. We would go up the ramp and across the lift to the bus. It was a lot easier and faster than using the lift from ground to bus. Once we got on the bus and tied down, guess who would normally find a spot to stretch out and take a nap? – Jake. Every so often, there wasn’t a place for him, so he got to sit next to my wife, Olga.
Opening ceremony
The 3rd was reserved for registration and an awesome opening ceremony in the evening. There was a huge crowd at the arena. About 20 motorcycles came roaring through. Talk about a moving experience. Then there was the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance – absolutely just unbelievable.
July 4, 2006
The 4th started off with another fantastic event – a parade. I could not believe how many folks showed up. Someone estimated about 30,000 people. We were at the head of the parade by state. The folks cheered and clapped the whole time. They definitely showed their appreciation for our service.
The rest of the week was chock full of games. For an idea of what it was all about, go to www.wheelchairgames.org. Click on photo gallery (left side). The newsletters have some interesting stories.
Track, Field & More
Power chair soccer was one of my events. They put a cage around your feet. There are two 4-person teams on the floor. You push this ball around and try to score a GOOOOOOOOOOAL! It was lots of fun with some unique rules. The team I was on won the gold medal. Now before any one starts patting me on the back and saying: “Way to go Andy”, let me tell you that I got lucky when I got on this team. Mark is on the national power soccer team and I think they said Raul was on his state’s team. Everyone said we’d get the gold, since Mark’s team has won it for the last, I think, seven years. Jake displayed his first signs of separation anxiety. Since he couldn’t be out there on the court, I had to leave him on the sidelines with Olga. After a while, he finally settled down. Once the game was over, and back with me, we watched the quad rugby game.
Another event I was in was a 220-meter race. This was a riot. Wheelchair speeds: Invacare models Quickie 626 and 646 run about 8 to 10 miles per hour (mph). I have a Permobil, which runs about 4 mph. We ran 3 chairs in each heat. I was set up against a 626 and a 646. You get three guesses as to who did not win. When the gun went off, they were gone in a flash. As I approached the finish line, all by my lonesome, everyone was cheering me on. I’m laughing so hard, it’s a wonder I could see where I was going. Once off the track, someone asked me how I did. I just said: ”Two Quickies against a Permobil”. He said: “Well, did you have fun anyway?” That’s what it is all about; the fact that you try.
Now Jake was another story. Once again, separation anxiety kicked in. He was ok while we were waiting for our heat to go. I gave him to Olga. When the starting gun went off and we started moving, Jake wanted to go also and pulled Olga along until they caught up with me at the finish line. Maybe I would have had better luck if I had put my chair in manual mode and let him pull me.
The last event I was in was ramp bowling. A volunteer puts the ball at the top of the ramp. You push it down the ramp. You have to figure out how your ball acts on the lane and adjust accordingly. It’s a lot of fun. Jake had no problem during this event, since I didn’t go anywhere. He just chilled out.
I dropped out of the 4th event for which I had been scheduled. It was at 7:30 Sat morning. Getting started at around 5 am just didn’t seem to enticing.
A Reunion
One of the best highlights of the trip was getting to visit with Emory. In 1978, I attended a 5-week military class in San Antonio. Emory was the Superintendent of the school. Sometime in the early 90s, I heard that he retired from the Air Force in Anchorage. Well, before I left, I went to www.switchboard.com and entered his name and city. It gave me a phone number. When up there, I called the number. Sure enough, it was he. I told him I was there for the games and when I would be at the base bowling alley. Keep in mind that there were a bunch of wheelchairs both at the lanes bowling and those waiting to bowl, along with volunteers – just a lot of people. I finished my bowling and went to the table to get Jake and my stuff. I looked up to the folks in the crowd and looked right at Emory who was looking right at me. It was uncanny. 28 years later and it seemed like yesterday. We sat for 3 hours with non-stop talking. It was wonderful.
Pretty soon it was time to go home. Up Sunday morning at around 7 am. Our flight didn’t leave until 9 pm, so it was a very long day. We had a direct flight from Anchorage to San Antonio, with a stop in Houston. No messing with chairs in Houston. The only problem: 9 pm Anchorage time is 12-midnight Texas time. We didn’t get to San Antonio until 11 am. That was 11 hours in an aircraft seat where I couldn’t move very much and got about 30 minutes of sleep. Guess who slept the whole trip? At least when we transferred going up, I could move around and get pressure relief in my chair. There is nothing like the comforts of your own chair.
Then, to top it all off, my van would start, but would not stay running. The day was a disaster. Bottom line – we didn’t get home till 5 pm. I fed Jake, and then Olga and I crashed. I guess Jake figured that since we crashed, I didn’t need him for anything so he chilled out also. It took about a week for me to fully recover from the trip.
Was it worth it? Yes!!! All in all, it was wonderful. Met a lot of great folks. Regardless of a person’s abilities (no one talks of disabilities) everyone looks out for each other, providing support and encouragement and just good ol’ friendship. Jess – please also make this a pull out quote
I’ll close this story with two things:
1. Normally, in a crowd, you can find one individual that is indescribable. Picture the following. We are in line waiting to get on a bus. A young man behind me is asking me about Service Dogs in general, because he was interested in getting one. I turned around to face him. Well, first I have to brag on THSD. He asked me what Jake did for me. Before I had a chance to answer him, this “fool” on my right grabs the bottle of water on my lap tray and drops it on the ground. He says something like “pick it up”. Jake just stayed in his down position. I then said: “Jake, in my lap”. He picked it up and gave it to me. I petted him, turned to the “fool” and said: “He works for me, not for you”. It loses a lot, ‘cause you can’t hear my voice. The “fool” got the picture.
2. I have to thank TPVA, the Texas chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America of which I am a life member. It has a program where we can amass points for volunteering. Throughout the year, I volunteer at the VA hospital, teach computers to senior citizens and even get a few hours with THSD. Hours get you points and with enough points, TPVA shows its appreciation by paying for the trip: Member and attendant, flight and room.
Till the next time,
Andy
