International School of Beijing: Paralympics Athlete Motivates Students and Teachers

Paralympics Athlete Motivates Students, Teachers at International School Beijing

As the Beijing Paralympics got under way in early September, the International School of Beijing was proud to host Paralympic silver medalist John Register for a day of thought-provoking and inspiring interchange. Register works for the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), where he manages the Paralympic Academy Youth Outreach Program and directs the USOC’s Paralympic Military Program. He had traveled to Beijing with a group of 25 students from his Paralympic Youth Outreach Program, who came, along with their parents and their teachers, to watch their heroes compete through the two weeks of the games.

When he was a young man, Register was a three-time AllAmerican track-and-field star for the University of Arkansas, and he twice qualified for the US Olympic trials. In 1994, however, his Olympic hopes were demolished when a hurdling injury led to the amputation of his leg. His determination to succeed found new channels, and he went on to re-learn athletic competition at the championship level. He competed in the Atlanta Paralympics as a swimmer; four years later he returned to track and field, claiming the silver medal in the long jump at Sydney in 2000. It was a long way round to Olympic greatness, but he got there.

During his day-long visit to ISB, Register spoke to students at all grade levels; in the evening, he gave a community forum to a wide audience of parents and neighbors. For the students, teachers, and parents in attendance, Register brought the Paralympic experi ence to life, with vivid tales from his own life story and engaging images of the unstoppable champions who compete in these games. He encouraged his listeners to understand, as he had, that adversity can be met through the power of faith, family, and friends. Register believes in the ripple effect of personal inspiration—that each individual has the power to inspire another, who will in turn in

spire others. He advised students to find in their classmates all the potential that can be developed, rather than to waste energy in making comparisons.

The question-and-answer sessions that followed each of Reg ister’s presentations proved to be unusually lively, as the students’ forthright questions elicited colorful and candid responses. Teachers were able to import the tone and the message of Register’s presentation into their classrooms with follow-up activities and reflections. John Register’s visit to ISB is an event that will long reverberate with students, teachers, and families.