The end of the year causes all of us involved with running the RHI Sports Program to pause and consider the amazing efforts of everyone associated with this great endeavor.

We all marvel at the athletes: Beginners – who come out to try new sports that test their abilities and strain their muscles;

The players who have conquered one sport and decide that it’s time to learn another and often succeed in mastery beyond their (and our)

wildest dreams…

And the stars who having thrilled us with their daring and expertise, return to give back to those who are beginning their journey, who remember where they started, and always, always impress us with their humility and strength.

We give thanks for all these people and also for our volunteers.

Thanks to all our board members who attend meetings, take their time, spend their money and care so much about the development of a program that focuses on the great disabled athletes we serve.

We especially appreciate the support we receive from the hospital management and the leadership provided by the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana Foundation leadership.

All of us involved with the RHI Sports Program wish every athlete and all of our fellow volunteers and managers a wonderful holiday.

May we all look back on this past year, remembering the thrill of sport, the uncertainty of competition and the blessing of victory!

Happy Holidays and a Joyous New Year to all!

The USA- England match was a 40 minute grind as an inspired English team thwarted multiple scoring chances of our team and kept a raucous crowd on the edge of their seats.

England managed a 1-0 lead on a brilliant individual effort from their top player but with lots of time left and the USA’s ability to generate offense, the outcome was in doubt until the clock ran out. The 1-0 English victory not only knocked Japan out of semifinal contention but meant that USA would finish second in pool play (after beating the the Swiss 21-0)

and have to face France (#1 in Pool B) in the semis at 8:00 that evening.

In the first semifinal neither England or Belgium (3rd in 2007) could score throughout regulation. Seemingly headed for a shoot-out, The English scored late in the second overtime period and secured their spot in the championship final.

The French team came in to the semifinals with a 4-0 pool play record and the almost total support of a full house home crowd. (Almost total because a smaller but very vocal and colorfully dressed USA cheering section matched the French fans cheer for cheer.)

The USA fans had a lot to cheer about as USA engineered another brilliant defensive effort to stymie every French offensive foray and scored on a penalty (Archer) and a combination play (assist Scalia-Carrow).

The day ended with these match-ups set for the finals:

9th Place: Ireland v Switzerland

7th Place: Australia v Portugal

5th Place: Canada v Japan

3rd Place: Belgium v France

1st Place: England v USA

A one-day break between pool play and finals allowed the tension to build around the final. When the championship match finally started at 3:00 PM the atmosphere was electric and once again the crowd support favored USA.

Team USA took the air out of the fans about 10 minutes in as Archer scored on a penalty to go up 1-0. England kept the pressure on but couldn’t crack the USA wall and Team USA kept their attacking mindset to score 2 more goals for a 3-0 victory and the Cup!

This past September I earned the opportunity to compete for a slot to represent the USA in the 2012 Paralympics. I will be competing in a trials event in April to see who gets that slot. Of course, I have lots of training to do between now and then to make sure I earn my way to the 2012 Paralympics in August.

Meanwhile, I have competed in the 2011 Parapan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. I was ranked third going into eliminations and had a tough match where it came down to a single arrow shoot off at 70 meters. I shot a solid ten but my opponent also shot a ten and was closer to center by a 1/4 inch so I was unable to make it to the medal matches.

I did gain more experience in high pressure situations which is always valuable, especially as I look ahead to the USA trials event in April for the Paralympic games in London. I look forward to the upcoming competitions, and thank you all again for your support!

*Also check out GoodShop to have a % of your online purchases from thousands of stores donated back to RHISP!*

Julie has continued to improve and competed in all four Midwest tourneys, reaching the finals in Muncie and then finishing with a huge win, over an opponent who had beaten her all season, in the Midwest Team Cup, in September.

Lucas ended the year with a top 20 ranking in Men’s B divison with consolation draw wins in both Hilton Head and St. Louis. He was also a finalist in the Ft. Wayne tournament. Lucas has only been playing for 2 years and has made significant improvement in a very short time.

We would like to thank the Purdue University Men’s team and the Butler University tennis coach, Jason Suscha for allowing us to use their courts for practices and for hosting tennis clinics during the Spring and Fall.

The RHI adult team practices throughout the winter on alternating Wednesday’s in West Lafayette and Friday’s at the Butler University Bubble. We welcome new players and are gearing up for another great year in 2012!