Rausin Enjoys Spotlight: North wheelchair athlete longs for state competition
BY RON WHITE WINTER PARK - Call it a victory lap. North Fort Myers sophomore Arielle Rausin met some bumps in the road on her way to earning a chance to compete this season for the team's track team. On Friday, though, Rausin's eyes sparkled as she flashed a grin and recalled the noise she heard when she made the final turn in the 800 meter race at the Class 3A state track and field championships. "It was great. I loved it," said Rausin, who said she heard the cheers from the more than 1,000 fans as she wheeled her way to the finish line. Rausin, who uses a wheelchair due to a 2003 Thanksgiving Day car crash that left her paralyzed below the belly button, was a typical athlete when she talked about her performance. First, she was disappointed that she was alone on the track. "I had no competition. I wish there were other girls on the track," Rausin said. She also expressed displeasure with her time, 2 minutes, 58 seconds. "My chair isn't as fast on this surface," said Rausin, whose seed time was 2:46.49, a personal best. Rausin also competed in the 200 run and the shot put. She was the only competitor in the 200. She finished in 42.84. In the shot put, she finished second. She threw the shot 13 feet, 5.25 inches. Zephyrhills' Heather Haynie won the adaptive shot put with a toss of 26 feet, 7.5 inches. This is the first year for the adaptive division at the state track meet. The Florida High School Athletic Association added it in late September largely because she and her parents appealed for it to be added with the help of the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The foundation paid for her competition chair, which her father, Eric Rausin said cost more than $3,000. Rausin said she is ready to make another trip to state next May, but she hopes she has more competition. "There's nobody to push her. She likes to compete. She's very competitive, and she's a big inspiration for our team," said fellow North Fort Myers sophomore Shannon Hassett. Grant Recipient Encourages Others
CAF Florida grant recipient Jeffrey Rush on Fox 13 talking about the US Tennis Association's upcoming block party. Jeffrey received his tennis wheelchair at our Gasparilla banquet & has won several championships. Congrats Jeffrey! Excited to achieve the athletic feat, youth race to finish triathlon.
By Timothy J. Gibbons The 9- and 10-year-old racers had just about hit a fever pitch by the time they got to head out of the tent. Are you ready, they were asked — their response a level of cheering that was startling even with 350 children generating it. The cheers echoing, they were off, threading their way across the University of North Florida campus to the swimming pool for their first event in the First Coast Kids Triathalon...read the full article here. |
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