Right now I'm sittin' in the airplane waiting for takeoff.  It took about four and a half hours to get here.  We got here (LA airport) with plenty of time, so me and Kenya played tag.  We ran up and down the escalators.  We also ate at Ruby's (inside the airport) the food was pretty good.  But for now we are sittin' here waiting for takeoff.  This is my first time on an airplane, so I'm excited. This will be a 15 hour flight, and I have enough things to keep me occupied (hopefully).  It is 9:55 pm right now.

From Los Banos to LA we made three pit stops, and we take off at 10:05.  I'm probably going to be pretty bored so I'll be writing a lot inside my Journal tonight.  My friend Kenya is sitting in the chair right next to mine and I have the window.  Well gotta go for now, but I'll be back.

3/12/01  On March 12th, when we first arrived in Australia it was cold and sprinkles were falling from the sky.  We rented mini vans.  It took about an hour to load all the luggage into the vans, and the airport was about one hour from Geelong.  Kenya and I went straight to our rooms.  The first thing we did was change and go straight to the swimming pool and hot tub.  Boy did that feel great.  Then I came and took a shower, then Kenya and I played tag running up and down the hallways.  So then, finally, dinner time came, but when I was sitting in my chair waiting to be served, I started feeling very sharp pains in my stomach.  And I mean bad ones. But the whole USA ski team was there and I did not want to be rude and just leave.  So I tried to tough it out.  I ate a piece of bread with butter and drank pineapple juice.  That was a big mistake.  I still tried to just be tough but it wasn't working, I was really hoping that it'd just go away.  So I told Neva to give me the keys to the room to go up and take care of myself. When I was coming up on the elevator I almost threw up.  Luckily my room was on the first floor, so that was good.  If I would have had to go one floor higher there would have been cereal, milk and other nasty stuff all over the door (yuck).  Then, about one minute after I was in my room my second mother, Neva, came in the room.  She got a cold rag and put it on my forehead.  Then I laid down on my bed and Neva calmed me down completely.  If Neva had not gone in the room I would have probably passed out by just being so nervous and scared.  Later we found out that it was the pool water and the hot tub water.  So now I know not to swallow about 5 gallons of chlorine and 10 gallons of whatever the heck is in the hot tub. Today this dude was talking to me and Kenya and he told us "Oh, I should have known you were from the States from your accents."  I was like, "Dude, you got the accent!"  Today I got kind of used to everybody, but I still felt kinda like an outsider.

3/13/01  Today was really fun.  Kent (Kenya's Dad) went out to the ski site with the team.  So Neva, Kenya and I all went shopping.  I got something for almost everybody, but not quite.  We walked all day, I was really tired at the end of this day.  That's really all we did, but it was really fun.  For dinner we ate at Subway.  I thought the people down there were really nice.  I did not meet one rude or mean person down there.  Today I did not see any of the ski team athletes.  That's about it.

There, I just wanted to give you a little idea of some things we did down there.  Here's my essay.

The DisAbledwaterski team was going to Australia to meet the world's best competition.  They were going to compete against lots of other countries. (I don't remember all of them.)  They were going to have one week of practice in Geelong, and then the real tournament in Melbourne.  Geelong was not really all that big, Melbourne on the other hand had the third biggest Greek population in the world.  Our hotel in Geelong was alright, but the one in Melbourne was huge.

When Kenya first asked me if I wanted to go with her to Australia I said "Yeah, but I don't know what my Mom will say."  But with a little help from Neva we convinced my mother.  And before I knew it I was on an airplane going to Australia.  It got really boring on the plane at times, and I was too energetic to go to sleep.  Neva introduced me to everyone when we were all together.  These guys were the coolest.  They might have been in wheelchairs or had one arm or leg, but they were no different at all.  Some of them couldn't walk, but they had more heart than anybody that I have ever met.  After we were all settled in our room and everything,  me and Kenya would play tag a lot, or we would go swimming.  At dinner time we would go out a lot; that was where I really started talking to everyone.  I felt weird because it was like everyone already knew each other, and I knew hardly nobody.  So I was really quiet for the first week. But one of the coolest skiers there I think was Matt.  He kept on telling me "You need to talk more, I know you're not like this at home." Which was true.  So he was the one who really made me break out of my shell.  Here's a list of all the skiers.

Matt (known as Matty) was from Chico, he brought his girlfriend Garen, she was really cool also.  Joe Ray, he set a world record in slalom.  He not only skis he plays basketball and all other kinds of sports.  Allan, he was one of the blind skiers, he's known for jumping, which is pretty crazy because he jumps off that ramp and he's blind.  I wouldn't go off that ramp with a blindfold on!  Allan was best friends with Mark Hieftje.  Mark was also blind and also held the current world record for jump.  Another blind jumper, that takes guts.  Allan and Mark had to have a guide to tell them how far they were from the ramp.  That man was Joel, he was their guide, and he was also very funny, very polite, and very nice.  You could never see Mark, Allan, or Joel separated, they were like the three Musketeers, or Stooges.  Katie, she was also blind, she skied in all three events and she also had a great sense of humor.  Aric Fine, he was nicknamed "Flyin' Fine" because he held the record in jump.  He also had a little girl and boy, and a very nice wife.  Bill Furbish, he had the highest level of injury but that did not stop him at all.  He skied in all events.  He had a daughter that was about 1 year old and she was just adorable.  He also had a very nice wife.  Steve Hornsey, he seemed rather quiet most of the time.  I did not talk to him much, but I talked to him enough to know he was a great guy, and enjoyed oysters . . . raw or cooked.  Camie, she was a leg amputee, she brought her fiancée Marshall.  They made one great couple, soon to be husband and wife.  And towards the end of the trip Camie announced she was pregnant.  Kerri, she was really cool to talk to, she also skied all events.  Kerri placed 2nd in slalom, and she also had a crush on Leo (he was from another country).  Mark Turner nicknamed "Animal", and if you spent 10 minutes in a restaurant with him you would know why he has that nickname.  He placed first overall.  Mark was also the athlete of the month, not DisAbledathlete, just athlete.  I never really talk to him much, only a little. Craig, he was the only arm amputee on the team.  On and off the water he was really cool.  I wish I had talked to him more.  Kirk, he was just the coolest.  Kirk was a leg amputee, but did not think of himself as disabled.  He was the one I talked to the most.  He gave me great advice about my sister Nana (Nana is very ill), about life, and death.  And about how if you don't run, bother, or feel afraid of bees they won't do a thing to you.  I really hope we meet again.  Stephany, I don't know too much about Steph, we never talked at all, but from what I saw, she really loved her daughter.  John Reid, not a skier but a manager.  I don't even know where to start on describing this man.  He has so much knowledge that it is pitiful.  He knows what he wants, and he told me that a person without an opinion on something doesn't have their mind straight at all.  And those words alone sent a great message to me as a human being.  I could write a whole page on what John Reid is about and all the things he taught me.  Mike Mosley, he was the coach.  He was also pretty quiet until he got behind the wheel of any vehicle, then he changed into Super Mosley.  I didn't talk to him much either.  Kent Sandhagen, he was Kenya's Dad, a very hard worker, great inspiration for Mark Turner, good husband, and a great skier himself. Kent gave me lots of advice about keeping my cool and finding out lots of things about life that I did not know.  Neva Sandhagen, she is just like the female version of Kent, in a way.  Neva has taught me, told me, and showed me how I can achieve my goals in life.  It's people like Neva that makes me believe that I can make it to the NBA if I want it bad enough.  She also told me over and over that the rest of the world is always going to push you down and put you down, and to just shake it off, look the other way, and prove them wrong.  She's my major inspiration, more than Kobe Bryant, or one of my favorite rappers, or a famous movie star.  Because she's taught me to let go of the outcome and just try your best, there's no more you can do.  Kenya Sandhagen, 5 words describe Kenya, energetic, smart, funny, energetic, and ENERGETIC.  She's like the energizer bunny times five.  She can play tag all day, swim all day, work out all day, and still find time to study and get all her work done.  If we could nominate student and athlete of the month I would vote for her.

So I went on this trip one person and came back a new one.  Just being around all these people that know they'll never walk again or never get their arm or leg back, and to know that you'll never be able to see your friends, family or anything ever again, and be completely blind for the rest of your life, but still manage to live life to the fullest and just accept things as they are.  Kirk told me when he woke up in the hospital he said, "Is there a chance I'll ever see my leg again?"  The nurse said no.  And he just went back to sleep, didn't cry and mope around, he just accepted it.  Then you'll see people get down because their favorite football team lost, or they don't have cool shoes, and the person they like doesn't like them.  It just makes me wish they could have had the chance to experience what I did.  I swear before I went on this trip my dream of playing for the NBA was slowly slipping away, because I was told I was too short and just didn't have the skill.  But I'll prove to each and every one of those people that said if you give it your best and try hard enough you can overcome anything.  "If it is to be it is up to me."  John Reid told me that and I hope that whoever reads this, those words make as much sense as they do to me.

This trip has changed me in a million ways.  I still listen to rap, where there's a curse and a swear word in every line, and I probably always will.  I still dress "inappropriate", I guess you can say that.  I still wear my hats tilted to the side, or backwards.  And I still get the same hair cut and comb my hair the same, and still live in the same house.  This trip changed "Spanky" on the inside where it counts.  I see things much different now, and deal with things much different.  A good example is my English teacher, Mr. Roloefs.  He only gets me in trouble, not because he hates me, but because he wants to help me.  And I was always too stubborn to realize that.  It's like Mr. Roloefs plans his day to make my life miserable.   He's got better things to do.  And one other thing I realized is these teachers didn't go to college and get a degree to come and torment students.  They have to have some joy in seeing students succeed and reach their goals.  So for all my teachers that are reading this, here's my apology for being such an inconvenience in your classes, and if I could, I would do it all over and try my hardest.  I would also keep my pants around my waist when I walk into Mr. Coleman's class.  Sorry . . . peace!

LastUpdated11/08/01