Paralympic Dream
This writing is solely my story. So, be ready if readers find it scattered, so long, or too me-oriented from start to end. Readers might also directly jump to the last paragraph where the points I want to deliver is summarized. Yet, the best virtual ovation is sent out to readers who read through paragraph over paragraph 😊 Wishing readers find this story convenient!
I think I was fifteen back then. I was in 3rd grade of junior high school and still an active chairman of OSIS (Student Council). Then, that day came. I was assigned by the steering committee to attend leadership camp initiated by Daarut Tauhid –one of the biggest Islamic boarding schools in Bandung (or probably the country?). Frankly, at the beginning I was very reluctant to go; given the fact that my service period was about to end. I was supposed to already have focused on my national examinations, which was just around the corner, which would in absolute determining my graduation status. Yet, as the new OSIS committee election was not over yet, I still bore the responsibility. Meanwhile other schools, I bet, they would assign representative from younger intake. So, there I was, went alone with a bit of frustration –of leaving extra classes, of being had no peers, of staying full time in boarding school. The show must go on no matter what.
The camp was aimed at leadership development for youth. It was held for five days at Ar Rissalah, an Islamic boarding school in Ciamis, Jawa Barat, Indonesia. Yes, I lived there, through days and nights, following the residents’ routine. Also, true, participants were not allowed to leave the host area during the event. Okay, enough for the long meaningless buffer.
I could not clearly remember neither details agendas nor sessions delivered, but I do remember one of the sessions that made me cry out loud. It was Kak Tari who facilitated the session (oh thanks, I still remember her name after twelve years passes). I think she shared us things about fight, survival, and gratitude. How’s life could be so tough, and everyone might have different start-line or tools for going through what’s life would bring. Above all, to always be thankful about who we are and what we have is more important. That was her session about, at least from what I could remember. Then, it was closed by a four-minutes-video. A video that changed the way I see and appreciate imperfections. I keep carrying the value delivered by this video until now –well not perfectly and consistently, but I know it’s inside me somehow.
The video was started with familiar tunes of a song. That was Hero from Mariah Carey. The video visualized some athletes along with their equipment in sports competition situation. Seeing them on the screen making me felt ill at ease, embarrassed of myself, intrigued, and pumped up at the same time. Yes, I got so emotional seeing that video for the first time that, somehow, could not hold my tears down. How I could not be so, the video was so mind blowing to me (at that very moment) as actors of the video were not ordinary, they were athletes with a range of physical disabilities and the scenes were coming from some summer Paralympic games.
At the beginning of the scene, I watched a swimmer living with limb loss wearing goggles by himself, without help. He was ready to jump at the pool podium along with his opponents. Continued with a scene in athletics arena where some wheelchair track athletes prepared on the start-line, on trial of whirling their wheels. There was also scene of some visually impaired runners took start position helped by their guides. Next scenes, some athletes with artificial leg jumped for pole vaulting. A scene of athlete left his crutch for long jump with one leg also drew my attention. Then, a swimmer with dwarfism reached finish-line with big smile on his face. There was also an athlete who finished run with shaking and head not upright yet happily tossing hand with his opponent (later I knew this athlete had neurological disorder). There were also runners on the tracks accidentally crashed each other and then his prosthetic leg was broken. And more other clips that I could not have better description in words. Better to experience watching the clip by yourself.
Well, some of you might have already watched it, but why not to re-watch a meaningful video. I provided the link below. FYI, twelve years ago, I watched it in a way it was a very good quality video. Then, recently I researched and replayed it from YouTube; none of the available video has a fine quality as today’s video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYKUm2vSTao&t=11s
What an old video, isn’t it? Nevertheless, I would say it still delivers great message that sometimes tears still dropped from these eyes as watching this video.
Back to the story. I couldn’t help but crying throughout the video was played. My mind flied away thinking of how they could do that, how they practiced against their physical limitation, how strong they were of taking any risk of more physical injury to compete on the games. Above all, how these superhuman could even exist. Then compare to myself, compare to what I had done. I was a coward.
Every scene on this video is just worth to watch in my opinion, especially for me who often think that my life is way too tough. I could see powerful energy and inspiring spirit shown by the athletes in this short video. Agree, that everyone, oh I mean myself, faces hard times in life, but it is not fair to claim mine is the toughest one, to feel like I am the most miserable living body on earth, to think that no one could ever have big problem as mine, or to be an excuse for giving up. Most of us started life physically very well. Also, most of the world’s facilities in many aspects (public pedestrian, public transportation, markets, etc.) are more average-human friendly. And people with physical impairment should work extra to deal with it to survive.
Trying to put my shoes on their shoes, I could imagine how harder even their problem, yet they keep going. This extra work that they take is what differentiates them to be superhuman, in my opinion. Then, at that time watching the video, I had just known that many of this superhuman work beyond limit of competing in sports. I bow full of my respect for them.
These athletes had truly inspired me. Just like Hero’s lyrics, they showed me that hero lies in everyone’s spirit, it’s just about how people would grow and drive this spirit. The spirit here is hardworking, keep going, and inspiring. They are truly victor.
Ever since then, I got familiar and learned about Paralympic movement. When got back from the camp, I couldn’t stop telling my fellows in the school of how wonderful these athletes were. A true definition of make dream comes true beyond limit. They don’t limit the challenge but challenge their limit. I even once declared that I would watch them competing live. I would say, this was one of my teenage dreams.
In 2009, two year passed from the camp, I attended parliamentary model held by the Republic Indonesia House of Representative. From that event, the first time I knew that Indonesia would host the 26th SEA Games Jakarta – Palembang 2011. My dream was getting closer because every time a country hosts the games, it must be followed with hosting the Para Games. Unfortunately, though I continued studying at a university in Jakarta, I couldn’t make it because of budget and time limitation. Not lying, the ticket was quite expensive as well, while I still fought with my daily life in Jakarta at that time. Well, I was just student back then who tried to be very wise on daily expenditures.
Another chance came when in late 2014 I knew that Indonesia would host Asian Games and Para Games in 2018. As the year was approaching, I got super excited, I told myself that I must make it this time.
And yes, the 2018 Asian Para Games Jakarta was the place and the moment I made my teenage dream come true, a dream to watch live Paralympic. On 7 October 2018, after eleven years passes since my dream statement, I could finally watch live para athletes competing.
Being present in the spectators’ bench and meeting the para athletes was not just exciting, rather it was so radiant, an amazing experience. I would say it was one of the best weekends I ever spent, a fine Sunday morning to evening. I bought a-full-day-pass-ticket so that I could come to as many as possible competition venues. Fortunately, most of the competition venues were in GBK Arena; cost and time efficient.
I watched some events on para swimming in GBK Aquatics Arena. Every time the para athletes were introduced and were on the pool, I shouted their name out loud (especially if they were Indonesian) in the imagination of transferring spirits. In this stadium, I was hoping to watch Jendi Panggabean competing on the pool, unluckily, I didn’t come on the right schedule. Oh yes, Jendi is a successful Indonesian para swimmer who was born normal, but sadly lost his left-leg limb due to motorcycle accident when he was in junior high school. I adore his spirit just by reading his story and seeing his poster stand sturdily on his swim suit without artificial leg. It unveils a very powerful person.
Then, I happened to fully watch final badminton men’s team SL3-SU5 (SL=Standing Lower, SU=Standing Upper) INA vs MAS in Istora GBK. And Indonesia won! I participated in spectators’ seat during the victory ceremony where Indonesia Raya was played and Merah Putih was at the highest pole against Malaysia, Thailand, and India.
At that time also, my first time to see right with my eyes, so close, a female para athlete firmly stood up on a prosthetic leg in one of her leg, from toe until her thigh, respected to the flag. I couldn’t just hold my tears, I was so moved with everything happened at that very moment in Istora.
Next stop was GBK Basketball Hall where wheelchair basketball was held. I watched an intense match between women’s team of Afghanistan vs Thailand where Thailand was in victory. To my mind, watching people running on wheelchair is very challenging and hazardous (I think the risk of injury was also bigger). I imagined how difficult for them to control the wheel when needed to sprint or just easy run or even to stop for shooting the ball to the hanging basket. Also, the way they control hands to whirling the chair and dribbling the ball while in the same time avoiding opponents who tried to take over the ball was just amazed me. How on earth did they do that? Believe me or not, without realizing my tears just dropped. Probably, crashed each others’ wheelchair or fell down with the wheelchair on was just a routine view on the court. However, in my eyes, it was an unfamiliar thing that was exceptional, a great show of warriors.
The other competition I attended was sitting volleyball at Tennis Indoor GBK. I managed to watch winning match of Kazakhstan against Iraq. What drew my attention during the match was spectators who sat next to athletes’ bench. They were number of disabilities students along with their guardian. When the match was over, all the athletes approached them with very special greet that I, who watched across them, was so moved. These athletes were not only supported, but they supported their spectators. Inspiring spirit. I didn’t take video what I saw, yet I could share a similar video posted by International Paralympic Committee on their twitter account just for readers’ reference.
https://twitter.com/Paralympics/status/1050318241061453824?s=20
Basically, sport I wanted to watch the most was para athletics. However, as the para athletics events had not started yet on that day, all I could manage was coming to the training venue which was in Madya Stadium GBK. Well, I was just regular civil resident who had no access to training venue, but I managed to watch the athletes’ practice from the border outside the stadium. I even shouted their name when they passed by my watching point.
Frankly speaking, I had other mission of watching para athletics training session 😊 . I also looked up for contingents from DPR Korea (a.k.a. North Korea). Oh, I missed North Korean. It’s out of topic but should anyone interested, someday I will be keenly to write background of my yearnings to North Korean.
And yes, I made it. By standing by at the transportation spot of Madya Stadium, I met them, took picture with them, shouted our supports for them, and told them why we so cared to North Korean.
Well, eventually I managed to watch para athletics on the final day. I remembered it was on Friday, 12 October 2018. Where I suddenly ask half-day-leave from the office to my boss as all works already finished in the morning. Lucky me, she granted the leave! I immediately left the office to GBK Main Stadium. Kebagusan to Senayan in express to book a ticket as all online tickets were sold out. The para athletics competition started in the afternoon to early night. An unimportant story, I was queueing at the GBK’s ticket box together with Kak Seto (Indonesian famous child psychologist, chief of the National Commission for Child Protection’s advisory board). He brought numbers of students to watch para athletics as well.
Ticket on hand then ready to the stadium. Arrive in the venue, oh Dears, you won’t believe me how wonderful the atmosphere in the stadium was, so high-spirited. Don’t ask me how many spectators who came in to the stadium, it was so full and loud. It was final day. I watched number of track and field events then stood up every time victory ceremony held. From the field event, I watched shot put women in wheelchair category, visually impaired long jumper, and javelin throw. From track event, I watched wheelchair racers, sprinters with prosthetic legs, and long-distance runners with visual impairment.
I witnessed a special moment in long-distance running, men’s 5000M T11 (category of the most severe visual impairment, totally and/or almost blind). If I remember correctly, there were five to seven runners on the track along with their guide (FYI, runners with visual impairment would wear eye-mask and run accompanied by a guide). Everything seemed to be alright after the gun was fired from the start-line. First to second lap all runners were still so intense that each runner run closely overtaking the first position. I think, it happened when entering the third lap, a runner from DPR Korea drained energy and started to be left in quite long distance behind from other runners. Afterwards, the intense run went so low for him that he was laps behind other runners. When almost all runners achieving finished line, he still struggled for another laps. Could you imagine how it feels? Arrive together in the finish-line with the opponents yet you have not really finished the run? Obviously, he lost the competition. But did you know what happen? He did not stop running until 5000M was completed. Although other runners had winning celebration already at the side of the track, he kept running other laps only with his guide on the track. No more competition for him yet finishing what he started. I couldn’t help but yelling his name out loud. I went down in the spectators’ bench to get as close as possible to the track and yell his name also saying to kept going. He got everyone’s eyes in the stadium who also cheered him up. One lap down another lap to go for finish-line. He made it into the final lap and all I could see was his big smile in the finish line (Oh yes, I was sitting in the area close to finish line). Big applause from the stadium when he finally made it to finish-line.
A very inspiring spirit! Now I understand why the game’s slogan was the inspiring spirit and energy of Asia.
So, after so many paragraphs written down above, with buffers here and there, with repetition of words and phrases, the point of my story here was basically very simple. I want to tell background of how I dream to watch Paralympic and journey to finally make it come true. It started by attending a leadership camp and watching an influencing video of Paralympic games, then somehow it drove me to dream. After twelve years, with the great help of the Merciful of Alloh ta’ala, Alhamdulillah, I made this dream came true, of watching live para athletes competing. And watching them competing live brought me even more lesson learn to keep going in life. This Paralympic dream is a proof and reminder to myself that every dream is worth a fight, that dream comes true along with choice of chances to be taken, that dream comes true in the right time, that dream is a magic we freely create to live our life. So, Sevi keeps dreaming, fight for it and don’t forget to always be thankful 😊
Thank you for reading my Paralympic dream. I wish everyone who dreams fight to make it come true.
Credit photographs to Getty Images, IPC (International Paralympic Committee), The Jakarta Post, and Tempo.
