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My name is Joseph Alexander Chavez. I was born with Cerebral Palsy. I am a member of the US National Paralympic Soccer team and I am currently on my third year with the team. We travel all over the world representing our country and my goal is the road to LONDON 2012!......To compete in the 2012 Paralympic Games. Why do I compete?I feel like people don't understand why I have invested so much of my life into this soccer team. Well, first off I am grateful that my CP is not severe and that I have been able to surround myself with people that look past it and don't view it as a big deal. With that being said it is nice to be around people who have gone through similar circumstances that i have in my own life, all of your insecurities seem to go out the window. The Paralympics is not a feel good event full of hugs and "oh you tried so hard"attitudes. It is comprised of athlestes that represent their countries with immsense pride just like a Michael Phelps or Shawn Johnson does in the able bodied games. We compete for medals that are made from tte same gold, silver, and bronze that are used in the Olympics.Paralympics? Is that like the Special Olympics?This is a question that every single Paralympic athlete is bound to encounter at some point and time. My teammates and i were getting off a plane one time and the pilot said "What are you guys Special Olympics?". I understand why people do not understand the differences; 1. The Special Olympics were created by the Kennedy's and are still funded by them today. This has gained the Special Olympics notoriety because of how famous the Kennedy's are and how much money they can put into the organization. 2. Despite how far people with disabilities have come in this country it is often times assumed that a mental disability is directly associated with a physical disability and this is not the case.Everyone is aware that the Olympics take place every 4 years and draws athletes from all over the world. What most people do not realize is that the Olympics are not over after the closing ceremonies. Two weeks after the conclusion of the games the Paralympic games begin. The Paralympics are part of the Olympics but are for athletes with PHYSICAL disabilities. The games take place at the exact same venue's as the Olympics did two weeks prior. The Paralympics are a division of the Olympics and adhere to the same belief system that the Olympics prides itself on. Athletes at the Paralympic games have a wide array of disabilities, some of them are; Cerebral Palsy, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spina Bifida, Amuptees, Stroke, etc...So from now on when someone hears about the Paralympics they should immediately associate it with the Olympics. Paralympic athletes train very hard to achieve their goals, in most cases they train as hard as their able bodied peers in the Olympics. Paralympic athletes are also subject to drug testing done by USADA and WADA. This is the same type of testing done on the olympic athletes as well.There is a great documentary out about the U.S. Quad Rugby Team called MurderBall. The film follows the team as they try to win gold at the Paralympics in Athens (2004), it also does a good job of showing what the paralympic movement is about and provides you with an inside look of what it is like to be an athlete. WE HAVE A WEBSITE....WE'RE FAMOUS!!!...Okay maybe only half of that statement is true...we have a website! Thanks to the awesome work of Ron Logan to take time out of his very busy schedule and make the site.This site will definitely help us promote the team and contains everything you would want to know about us. There is everything from player profiles, to stats, to information on the Paralympics. The site can be found at www.back-spin.comAs for school and my education goes..,I am a Southwestern college student and I am the President of A.B.L.E. Club, Abilities Beyond Limitations through Education. This organizational club is actively involved in the community which promotes disability awareness. I love to listen to all types of music, I am a very open minded person. Please if you haven't visited our new U.S Paralympic Soccer Fan Site here it is. www.back-spin.com let me know what you think =)-Joe ChavezProfile Edited by bestsourcecode.com MySpace Editor