Why Isn't Everyone Watching?

   March 10 to March 19, those are the dates. Do you know what those dates are? If you don't, you're in the company of countless others, but I'm not going to say, "so don't worry about it." The lack of publicity surrounding this event is anything but laudable, even if it is predictable. Those dates, you see, are for the Paralympics, currently running in Turin. These are the ninth Paralympic games, and they have brought over 1,000 awesome athletes to the slopes and arenas vacated a couple of weeks ago by the first round of competitors.
   Although the Olympics may not be everyone's cup of tea, there are few who would laugh to scorn any of the "able-bodied" athletes who come to strut their stuff. Just one look at some of the "differently-abled" athletes, however, would be enough to set off the derisive comments from those so minded. I would be interested to see any of those small-minded detractors compete against any of these athletes. How well would they fare, I wonder?
   You see, the athletes currently competing in Turin are pitting themselves against circumstances that would declare"three strikes, you're out" to many of us. While the amputation of a limb or the loss of vision would mean game over to many an individual, it means just another adjustment to be made on their way to the top for these determined athletes.
   There are five competitions underway: alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, biathlon, ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling. Looking into the "how" of any of these sports for the differently-abled is looking into a wonderworld of technology and human spirit combined.
   "Tech-liners" have been developed to ease the friction between skin and a prothesis to facilitate downhill skiers who make their way on one leg. Because of the painful friction possible, some amputees ski without their prosthetics. To help them, firms like LaCome Inc. have been busy, developing the Flipski, which is a crutch ski that can also flip up into a pole to use over icy parts of the course. The back of the ski is equipped with metal claws to help stop a skier unable to stop the conventional snowplow way. For skiers who sit during their descent of the course, there is the Radventure Inc. monoski, a titanium leg-mounted single ski, on which the intrepid adventurer sits.
   The skiers who evoke the most sense of awed admiration from me are those who are visually impaired. While some of them are partially blind, others are completely so, and still they brave the mountainside. How do they get down safely? Some of them have sighted guides who call out to them from the sidelines, using a megaphone, while others have a sighted guide ski down in front of them, calling out to them with details of what lies ahead. I can not imagine myself in this world or the next tackling such a challenge. My ski cap's off to them, I tell you.
   Those who compete in the biathlon may be visually impaired as well. To facilitate their taking part, technology steps to the fore again. These people follow their guide to the shooting range where they use air rifles equipped with an electronic acoustic device that shoots light and sound beams that are bounced back to the shooter's headset. Increasing pitch directs them closer to the target, helping them refine their aim until they hit that bullseye.
   On the hockey ice, the players use sledges equipped with two skate blades that allow the puck to pass between them. The teams carry two double-sided sticks that have a spike at one end for pushing off the ice, and a blade at the other for taking those shots on net. This adaptation of the game originated in Sweden in the 1960's and became an official event in the Paralympics in 1994. The first set of international rules for the game were drafted from Canadian rules of play for ice hockey, and there is very little difference. Minor penalties run 1.5 minutes rather than 2 and "teeing" or intentionally contacting another player with the front of a sledge is cause for such a penalty. Teeing is pretty much the only real difference between the two games, so if someone enjoys watching ice hockey, they should have no trouble following a game of sledge hockey.
   The only question is: Where are all the spectators? Why does most of the media circus disperse at the end of the "regular" Olympics? Why isn't there constant coverage on the TV so that we can watch our athletes and cheer for them when they excel? There is the site www.paralympicsport.tv, but when I went there I had to deal with annoyance of "please wait ... loading", an already small screen size being subdivided to show several sections, and computer glitches that kept interfering with the continuity of what I was hoping to watch. While the first games played out at Torino, all I had to deal with when I turned on my TV was making the choice of which channel to tune in and when to make some popcorn.
   You know what? This fucking stinks. The hype for any of our athletes should be the hype for ALL of our athletes. The corporate sponsors should be vying for the chance to support the Paralympics as much as they do the Olympics. The special ads should still be showing, and the audiences should still be sneaking some time off work to watch their favourites go for gold. What is the problem here, anyway? Is there some factor at play here like that mumbo-jumbo fear that keeps some people from making out a will, in case it brings about their demise? Are people afraid that they'll "catch" something from watching these events? Do they think if they cheer for an amputee, they'll lose a limb tomorrow? Are the corporate sponsors ashamed to have the "disabled" promoting their wares? Do they fear it will reduce the price they can ask for their gear if it's worn in public by the Paralympians?
   Someone explain it all to me, please. Why isn't everyone watching?