No.48 September 2006 |
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"To overcome conflict and misunderstanding, we need communication.
To communicate, we need a common language. Sport, more than any other
medium, provides a language through which any group from any culture
can find a common ground. It lights that spark within us all –
the thrill of competition, the camaraderie of a team, the nostalgia
of the game in years past. It reminds of what it is to be human, and
to simply – love life.
In addition, sport also empowers the individual. Billy Jean King once
said that "pressure is a privilege." Indeed, to rise up to
the identity of athlete, and to feel pressure, drive, and competitive
edge, empowers us to see ourselves as people who can achieve and who
have the opportunity to define our own path through this life. This
is especially true for people with a disability, who are still often
defined by their physical impairment. Sports turns this notion on it's
head and makes the individual, and those around him or her, understand
that ability lies in how you view yourself and how you choose to move
forward in the world. " |