Oscar was born without fibulas in both legs and when he was eleven he had both of his legs amputated.  Since then he has had prosthetic legs.  He started playing rugby in South Africa.  Four years ago he began running competitively to treat an injury he received while playing rugby.  Since then he hasn’t looked back.  He set world records at the paralympic games for the 100, 200, and 400 yards dashes.  In 2007 Oscar began running in able body races.  After finishing second in the South African national track meet in the 400 the Olympic games weren’t that far fetched, that is until the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) had their say.

The IAAF stated that Oscar’s “Cheetah” blades he runs on are an unfair advantage.  After rigorous testing they determined that his curved prosthetic metal legs were unfair.  They came to this conclusion based upon stamina.  With these cheetah legs Oscar is unable to become tired or fatigued in the regions that matter most in a 400 yard sprint, his legs.

I do understand this ruling but it does strike up a great conversation and controversy.  Be careful how far you go once you get past adversity, because once you’ve gone too far it’s unfair to the rest of us able body folks.  God speed Oscar.

I am from Montana originally and have never had a hometown team that played on a professional level. This hometown feeling is something that I have taken notice of in my time here. To have a group of people work so hard on your behalf creates a beautiful and comforting emotion. You belong to something bigger than just yourself. Sports bring a common emotion and will to thousands of people at a time. It can disapoint a city or bring it to heights never thought imagined. San Diego felt unstoppable as LaDanian Tomlinson triumphantly ran into the end zone to break Shaun Alexander’s record set only a year before, but then collapsed together when Marlon McCree fumbled an interception to put the game away against the Patriots that same year. Sports are special, if you only take the time to see it. It has the power to affect the outlook of an entire city. To be swaying on that edge is something that I knew I was missing out on living in a place that every person had their own opinions about their own teams. In Montana you would be lucky to find another person who shared your passion for a single team. Here there is a togetherness, if there is success it is shared by even the most casual sports fan. How many people in San Diego would hear about the news if the Padres were to win the world series? Everybody, it would be a positive and casual thing to talk about. In a town that always has good weather it gives you something else to casually talk about.

I believe in sports. I believe in the way they make me feel. I love to see a skinny 5′9″ shortstop, that looks like nothing, win the MVP in the world series. I believe in playing tackle football at school when you’re eight, at least until the teacher tells you that you can’t tackle at school. I believe in Jake Peavy’s right arm and LaDanian’s legs. I believe in small ball, good pitching, and the camo jerseys. I believe that San Diego has a great chance to become an amazingly successful sports town. I believe that the sports arena should host the Gulls once again and that the Chargers should never move away from mission valley. Most importantly I believe in the overall goodness in people who play sports and the image they convey to kids like me that emulated everything they did. I believe in the competitiveness of every athlete in sports today and the companionship that it creates. I miss the way I used to feel while playing sports and use the professional athletes as a way to get some of that back. I know that San Diego is a great sports town and I can’t wait to talk more about it.