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Point Pleasant woman to compete at Winter Paralympics By VERA C. STEK • CORRESPONDENT • March 7, 2010 No one would ever say that being stricken with an incurable, debilitating illness was the best thing that ever happened to him or her.
Yet, if it weren't
for the Stiff Person Syndrome that ended Jacqui Kapinowski's years as a
successful recreational marathon runner, the 47-year-old Point Pleasant mother
of two grown sons most likely would not be ranked as a top international athlete
today. A devoted runner who competed in races of all distances in Central Jersey and beyond for many years, Kapinowski became increasingly incapacitated by her illness, forcing her to do marathons first with a walker and finally in a wheelchair. But she hasn't had to put her athletic career on ice; in fact, she's taken to the ice as a member of the USA Wheelchair Curling Team, earning the right to be ranked among the best athletes in the world. Kapinowski not only made Team USA, the team won the bronze medal in Sursee, Switzerland, where it competed in the 2008 World Wheelchair Curling Championship. It was the United States' first world championship medal in the sport, and it qualified the team for the 2010 Winter Paralympics, March 12 to 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the 2011 Worlds in Russia.
Kapinowski, who
suffers excruciating pain and frequent
Kapinowski spent February in Madison, Wis., training with Team USA and flew with the team to Vancouver on Saturday to practice and await the opening ceremonies on March 12. After that, thanks to an invitation from the United States Olympic Committee, Kapinowski begins training for the National Championship qualifications in the shot put and discus, two more sports that are new to her. "If I make my qualification, I will be part of Team USA for track and field and will compete in the Worlds in New Zealand in 2011 and hopefully will be in the 2012 Olympics in London," she said. "To be a winter and summer Olympian would be the ultimate dream come true." Meanwhile, she also plans to wheelchair race in the Boston Marathon in April — her 53rd career marathon. It was while she was competing in a wheelchair event that Kapinowski met a member of the USA Wheelchair Curling Team. Because of her Scottish background, she had heard of the sport, but never played it. She began practicing at the Plainfield Curling Club, where she is the only wheelchair player, and won a spot on the team. Kapinowski refuses to let her disease keep her down, though sometimes the spasms and pain force her to be hospitalized, as happened in December. "There is no cure for Stiff Person Syndrome," Kapinowski said. "The condition will only keep progressing. I try to keep very active to fight off the disease. I get very frustrated when I have to stay in bed and can't train or take care of my family. They have to take care of me, which I don't like, but I have no choice at times." Kapinowski credits much of her success to her husband, Harry, who is her coach and part of the Paralympic staff for Team USA. "My husband is the most amazing man in the world," she said. "I am truly blessed to have this man in my life. I would not be at the level of competition without the support from him." Kapinowski feels her experience is a lesson to all. "We all deal with adversity and challenges in our lives," she said. "All I can say is believe, and never stop fighting. Live your life to the fullest and have fun doing it. I would have never thought — especially being in a wheelchair — that I would be one of the top athletes in the world. When you dedicate yourself, train hard and believe in yourself, your dreams will come true." WHAT IS IT? STIFF PERSON SYNDROME is a rare neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease. SPS is characterized by fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms. People with SPS can be too disabled to walk or move. SPS affects twice as many women as men. |
