Disabled vet finds a new direction with handcycling

From USA Today:

When Army section sergeant Joe Beimfohr's legs were blown off by a bomb four years ago in Iraq, he never thought he'd call himself an athlete.

Yet with the help of the Veterans Association and U.S. Paralympics, Beimfohr was introduced to the sport of handcycling shortly after he completed rehabilitation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington in July 2008.

This summer he has joined the ranks of several other disabled veterans who have received coaching and training support in a program funded by a grant from the U.S. Paralympic Military Program.

The Paralympic Military Program provides sports opportunities for more than 700 injured service men and women in the Washington area. There are also handcycling programs in Chicago, San Antonio and San Diego.

Beimfohr, 29, of Winchester, Tenn., was in charge of two vehicles and eight soldiers in Iraq when he was injured by an explosive that killed a soldier in front of him. Doctors placed Beimfohr in a medically induced coma. He had multiple surgeries, including a double leg amputation, went through rehabilitation and got divorced all within a year.

Beimfohr is an optimist. He says despite everything that has happened, he's never had a low point. He'll cheerfully tell his story in between spitting out sunflower seed shells and periodically flexing the half of his legs that remain.

"You have to realize that this is a volunteer army," he said. "I think you accept the risk and realize that (getting injured) is a side effect of your job. People say, 'You know, why do firefighters go into a burning building?' Well, it's their job. I believe it's not different in the Army."

He was drawn to handcycling after the VA and U.S. Paralympics sent him to a camp for wounded veterans where he was able to try out several sports, including rowing and wheelchair racing. He ordered his own handcycle and completed the New York City Marathon in less than four hours last year.

"It was hard," he said. "I'd never gone that far in a bike. Most guys do it in half that time, but it was my first one and after that I just got addicted to it."

Geoff Hopkins, who also trains with the Washington handcycle group, agreed that the sport has many benefits. He was paralyzed from the mid-torso down in a motorcycle accident in 1988, ending his military career.

"I've been racing for 21 years, and I cant tell you what it's done for me," Hopkins said. "Once you sustain an injury you just got to keep going. It's the carousel of life — you can either sit back and watch everyone else have fun, or you can jump on yourself. I can't be happier in life."

Beimfohr said he likes the competitive aspect of training for a race and that he and his second wife, Ana, can ride together. The two met on an online dating website and began dating soon after, but not before he asked how she would react to his injury when they met face-to-face.

"I was just honest," Ana Beimfohr said. "I was like, 'I don't know. I've never dated anybody (in a wheelchair). I've never really seen anybody with no legs, and I'm not really sure how I'm gonna deal with it.' But you know, everything is the same."

The two were married in October 2007.

"(I'll do) whatever it takes to get him active, because I want him around forever," she said. "Whatever gets him to that healthy point. I just support him in whatever he wants."

The VA, U.S. Paralympics and Achilles Track Club — of which Beimfohr is a member — have established programs to help veterans transition into life after sustaining a disability. By exposing veterans to a variety of sports through camps, they find out what they are good at and which sports they enjoy.

Several major marathons, including the Marine Corps, New York City, Boston, Miami and Palm Beach, have a handcycling category. At the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, four Americans competed in the sport. Oscar Sanchez won gold and bronze, and Alejandro Albor took silver and bronze.

Paralympians can also receive financial support from the Army's World Class Athlete Program, said Kari Miller, U.S. Paralympic military coordinator.

"The whole idea is to have them doing things not just as a one-off event where a company comes in and takes them somewhere that one time, (leaving them) no way to advance that," she said. "You end up showing your disability rather than your ability and that's not what we're after. We're after you excelling and becoming better."