antiquity
08-01-2002, 10:24 PM
Wheelchair sports enthusiast has no 'can't' in vocabulary
08/01/02
DAN MOONEY
Forget the half-full, half-empty scenario. As far as Kevin Hansen is concerned, life is a full proposition, nothing less.
Hansen's makeup is missing a reverse gear. He's never met a challenge he didn't relish to tackle.
Hansen, 49, is the executive director of World Wheelchair Sports in Eugene. A nonprofit amateur athletic organization, World Wheelchair Sports is dedicated to providing and promoting competitive and recreational fitness opportunities for people with physical disabilities.
"Each of us has something that sets us apart," Hansen said. "We just have to find it."
Hansen has found his nirvana in helping those with physical disabilities.
"Can't" isn't part of his vocabulary. Given the situation Hansen found himself in 1975, his options were limited.
Hansen was a 1970 graduate of Parkrose High School, where he competed in diving and skiing. After high school, Hansen became an aspiring opera singer. He was talented enough to attend the American Conservatory in San Francisco.
In 1975, his life changed forever.
Hansen was fond of pushing the limits in skiing. During a contest Feb. 1, 1975, Hansen was attempting a flip at Timberline Ski Area on Mount Hood. The resulting accident broke his neck, leaving him a quadriplegic.
Strength from family During the first few weeks after the accident, Hansen drew strength from his family.
"I told anyone who went into his hospital room not to cry," said Frances Hansen, Kevin's mother. "I told them to do something useful, like massage Kevin's hands."
The hand massages were just the beginning for Frances Hansen. Care for paralyzed people was non-existent in Oregon, she said. After Kevin started an Oregon chapter of the Spinal Cord Injury Association in 1976, Frances lived up to her nickname of "the white tornado."
"I thought when my kids were grown and gone, I would have a career instead of being a housewife," Hansen said with a laugh. "I became my son's legman."
Thanks to his family, wife Connie -- whom he married a year before the accident -- and an iron will, Hansen refused to let his condition extinguish his zest for life.
Having some use of his hands, Hansen trained in his wheelchair and competed in skiing, sailing and kayaking. His 10,000-watt personality and determination rubbed off on those around him. One was Craig Blanchette, who grew up in the Eugene area.
"It was 1984 or 1985, and my mom was having a garage sale," Blanchette said. "I'm helping her out, and this guy comes racing by in his wheelchair. He stopped, and we talked about it, and I was hooked."
Blanchette, who was born with no legs, would become one of the world's top wheelchair racers. Now 34 and living in Vancouver, Blanchette credits Hansen, who coached him for about 10 years.
"Kevin focused on every aspect of racing," Blanchette said. "He had a very unique philosophy for his time. We would use all kinds of things, like breaking down a race into different components, to get me ready."
Elite racing coach Hansen has been coaching wheelchair racers since 1984, becoming one of the elite coaches in the United States. Hansen-trained athletes have set 18 world records, and he was a coach of the U.S. team at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics.
Hansen co-founded World Wheelchair Sports in 1990. He has one paid assistant and "a bunch of great volunteers." The organization is involved in track and field, sailing and a wheels in nature program. Hansen still coaches track and sailing, which is largely done on Fern Ridge Reservoir west of Eugene.
"Sailing, that's my outlet now," Hansen said.
Working with world-class athletes has been great. But interacting with the everyday participation is where Hansen has left his mark.
"He's a wonderful guy and a great resource who will help you out with anything," said Corbett's Jody Dawes, whose son Jacob is a wheelchair competitor.
"I tell kids to look for small rewards every day," Hansen said. "It's not about the outcome or the medals; it's about the process."
In the past year, Hansen has been pushing the cause of the disabled athlete with the Oregon School Activities Association. His goal is simple.
"Every kid that attends an Oregon high school should have a chance to earn a varsity letter," Hansen said.
You can reach Dan Mooney at dimooney@earthlink.net
08/01/02
DAN MOONEY
Forget the half-full, half-empty scenario. As far as Kevin Hansen is concerned, life is a full proposition, nothing less.
Hansen's makeup is missing a reverse gear. He's never met a challenge he didn't relish to tackle.
Hansen, 49, is the executive director of World Wheelchair Sports in Eugene. A nonprofit amateur athletic organization, World Wheelchair Sports is dedicated to providing and promoting competitive and recreational fitness opportunities for people with physical disabilities.
"Each of us has something that sets us apart," Hansen said. "We just have to find it."
Hansen has found his nirvana in helping those with physical disabilities.
"Can't" isn't part of his vocabulary. Given the situation Hansen found himself in 1975, his options were limited.
Hansen was a 1970 graduate of Parkrose High School, where he competed in diving and skiing. After high school, Hansen became an aspiring opera singer. He was talented enough to attend the American Conservatory in San Francisco.
In 1975, his life changed forever.
Hansen was fond of pushing the limits in skiing. During a contest Feb. 1, 1975, Hansen was attempting a flip at Timberline Ski Area on Mount Hood. The resulting accident broke his neck, leaving him a quadriplegic.
Strength from family During the first few weeks after the accident, Hansen drew strength from his family.
"I told anyone who went into his hospital room not to cry," said Frances Hansen, Kevin's mother. "I told them to do something useful, like massage Kevin's hands."
The hand massages were just the beginning for Frances Hansen. Care for paralyzed people was non-existent in Oregon, she said. After Kevin started an Oregon chapter of the Spinal Cord Injury Association in 1976, Frances lived up to her nickname of "the white tornado."
"I thought when my kids were grown and gone, I would have a career instead of being a housewife," Hansen said with a laugh. "I became my son's legman."
Thanks to his family, wife Connie -- whom he married a year before the accident -- and an iron will, Hansen refused to let his condition extinguish his zest for life.
Having some use of his hands, Hansen trained in his wheelchair and competed in skiing, sailing and kayaking. His 10,000-watt personality and determination rubbed off on those around him. One was Craig Blanchette, who grew up in the Eugene area.
"It was 1984 or 1985, and my mom was having a garage sale," Blanchette said. "I'm helping her out, and this guy comes racing by in his wheelchair. He stopped, and we talked about it, and I was hooked."
Blanchette, who was born with no legs, would become one of the world's top wheelchair racers. Now 34 and living in Vancouver, Blanchette credits Hansen, who coached him for about 10 years.
"Kevin focused on every aspect of racing," Blanchette said. "He had a very unique philosophy for his time. We would use all kinds of things, like breaking down a race into different components, to get me ready."
Elite racing coach Hansen has been coaching wheelchair racers since 1984, becoming one of the elite coaches in the United States. Hansen-trained athletes have set 18 world records, and he was a coach of the U.S. team at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics.
Hansen co-founded World Wheelchair Sports in 1990. He has one paid assistant and "a bunch of great volunteers." The organization is involved in track and field, sailing and a wheels in nature program. Hansen still coaches track and sailing, which is largely done on Fern Ridge Reservoir west of Eugene.
"Sailing, that's my outlet now," Hansen said.
Working with world-class athletes has been great. But interacting with the everyday participation is where Hansen has left his mark.
"He's a wonderful guy and a great resource who will help you out with anything," said Corbett's Jody Dawes, whose son Jacob is a wheelchair competitor.
"I tell kids to look for small rewards every day," Hansen said. "It's not about the outcome or the medals; it's about the process."
In the past year, Hansen has been pushing the cause of the disabled athlete with the Oregon School Activities Association. His goal is simple.
"Every kid that attends an Oregon high school should have a chance to earn a varsity letter," Hansen said.
You can reach Dan Mooney at dimooney@earthlink.net