Geo's Thoughts

July 15, 2008 - 7:57 PM: Monday 7/14/2008 � Track & Field

Monday 7/14/2008 � Track & Field

Today was Track & Field day where Dad threw the discus and shot-put. It�s his last day of competitive events. We arrived at the Carnegie Mellon University field at about 8:30 this morning. While he registered, Jim and I checked out yesterday�s swim results to see how well he did overall in his individual events.

50m Breast Stroke
1. William Klahn from Team Iowa 36:24
2. Barry Kirkland from Team North California 39:24
3. Boris Shapiro from Team SoCal 41:76
4. Bert Fox from Team Philly 44:45
5. Paul Yang from Team North California 46:83
6. Jerry Benterau from Team North California 48:33
7. George Senerchia from Team Connecticut 51:71
8. Mike Strusiak from Team Liberty 58:90

50m Freestyle
1. Matt Schellenberg from Team Florida 27:21
2. Bill West from Team Mid New England 28:04
3. Terry Gould from Team Michigan 29:02
4. Tim Miller from Team Georgia 31:17
5. Lance Parsons from Team Arizona 32:03
6. Guy Peterson from Team Ohio 35:26
7. Bert Fox from Team Philly 40:12
8. George Senerchia from Team Connecticut 41:09
9. Stephen McPoland from Team North Cali 41:19
10. Paul Yang from Team North Cali 44:23
11. Rey Bray from Team Rocky Mtn 49:39
12. William Brown from Team Maryland 1:04:19
13. Ralph Faga from Team Liberty 1:17:17
14. John Rice from Team Liberty 1:42:94

Discus was the first event today. Dad was full of excitement. He was full of energy and confidence giving new comers George and Roger from Team CT lots of pointers. It appears that Davey�s coaching did pay off. Dad�s results were:

1st throw � 63�
2nd throw � It was his best throw but a foul :-(
3rd throw � 72.5�

Dad also coached a new comer, Ann, from Team Rocky Mtn. Dad, Jim and I quickly became friends with her. She was supposed to run the 1500m today but there was a mix up with the registration so she signed up for discus instead. Mind you she has never thrown a discus before. But with a little coaching from Dad she managed to pull off a 36� foot throw which won her a silver metal!

Right after the discus, the men threw shot-put. It was hard keeping track because we were excited cheering on Ann and cheering on the Shot-put athletes. Dad�s results were:

First throw 27�
Second throw 27.11 �
Third throw 27.81/4

After the discus event, Jim and I left for the airport to head home. I was all set with this posting when there was a little hiccup in our travel plans. I�m sorry for my delay with the post but I hope you�ve enjoyed sharing our experience at the 2008 Transplant Olympics. It�s about 7:30 pm on Tuesday. Dad is attending the closing ceremonies. He didn�t have any events today so hopefully he was able to relax a bit and enjoy Pittsburgh and cheer on the rest of Team CT.

Before I close I�d like to share a heartwarming email I received today �

Thank you so much: for George and the memories. I did see him jump into the pool and I asked him what he thought he was doing and he said he was helping and he also wanted to make sure I knew what to do if he needed help. That about sums up George. He is a helper. He helps people find themselves and to make dreams happen. He does that in real life and at the Transplant Games. George swan very well with times that are up there with those who have been swimming much longer. George, keep up that smile and good luck with the rest of the games.
Godspeed, Kathy Kenyon

Thank you Kathy! The Transplant Games truly are an experience. It is rare these days that we are amongst a group of people who are simply just happy to be alive! We get so bogged down with life�s day to day stresses, hustles and bustles that I think we forget at times that life is a gift and for most of us it only comes once. I am proud to have been able to share the Transplant Olympic experience twice with Dad. And I am proud to have a husband who supported me and encouraged us to make the trip to share the experience together. It meant the world to me to be able to be there to cheer on my hero, my Dad. I know that it was tough road to follow to get to the Transplant Games not only for Dad but for all of the athletes, their families and the donor families. There were probably a lot of days where you wanted to throw in the towel and say the heck with this! I�m proud of you all for never giving up and being who you are today�enjoying the gift of life.

Thank you all for sharing this experience with us, your kind words and support.

Your sit in journal poster,

Melissa
ILYBG