Passion for sailing
Because of his handicap, Lewis rediscovered his passion for sailing. He is helmsman of Team Eagle, which is vying along with several other squads to represent the U.S. at the 2008 Paralympic Games.
“Our first goal is to win the trials and earn a trip to China,” Lewis says. “Our ultimate goal is to win the gold medal.”
And those who know Lewis are not betting against him. He currently works in Web development, primarily with organizations promoting sailing and paraplegic causes, and intends to pursue a master of business administration degree after fulfilling his Paralympic dreams.
How it happened
Lewis was an undergraduate student at Northeastern in the fall of 2001 when he accepted the offer of spending a semester at sea and traversing the world. He and other students were swimming in the Seychelles Islands off Kenya on the eastern coast of Africa when disaster struck.
“We were having a great time and I decided to take one last dive into the water,” Lewis says. “Unfortunately, I dove into a shallow area and straight into the bottom, hitting it hard with my arms out. My arms collapsed and I was diagnosed with a broken neck.”
Lewis was originally paralyzed from the shoulders down and transported to a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he underwent surgery. He returned to the U.S. two weeks later and completed rehabilitation programs in Boston and Atlanta, eventually regaining partial use of parts of his upper body.
“Obviously, the accident produced a huge change in my life,” Lewis says. “I didn’t know what to expect and what I would do with the rest of my life. After a while, I learned I could overcome problems and do routine things I used to take for granted. Slowly, I began to build confidence doing some things I used to do.”
Sailor at heart
Lewis first sailed a boat at the age of 12 and later captained the sailing team at Hingham High School, but gave up the sport to concentrate on academics in college. A friend coaxed him into getting back into a boat.
“The problem was I could not steer standard boats,” Lewis says. “I almost gave up trying and quit the sport, but then I decided if I couldn’t sail a particular boat, I would find one I could steer.”
With considerable help from friends and local organizations, Lewis soon piloted a modified boat he was able to steer and competed in regattas in New England, New York, and Canada. Even though he is forced to undergo a lengthy and tedious procedure to be lifted into the boat every time he ventures onto the water, he says he thrills at the chance to be a competitor once more.
“I feel like a kid again,” Lewis says. “I realized sailing was what I wanted to do.”
Lewis has spent nearly two years experimenting with craft, practicing and racing with a disabled teammate, and raising essential funds to finance his new venture. He says he is applying business practices he learned in college to a campaign enabling Team Eagle to seriously contend for an Olympic berth and has created a website for the team at www.teameagle.org.
Shortly before speaking at Linden Ponds, Lewis says he received jolting news when his teammate of the past two years opted to resign from Team Eagle and hook on with another squad competing for a berth in Beijing. Despite that disappointment, he remains upbeat.
“Every time you realize you can’t do something, you must focus on what you can do with what you have,” Lewis says. “The goal is to win battles every day. This is just another battle I plan to win.”
Because, after all, life is what you make of it.
Paralympic Games parallel quadrennial spectacle
The Paralympic Games, in which Mark Lewis hopes to compete in 2008, are directed by the International Paralympic Committee, which is headquartered in Bonn, Germany. The IPC was established in 1989 and is operated by 162 national Paralympic Committees from five regions of the world and four disability-specific international sports federations.
The IPC sponsors competitions in both summer and winter sports. The Summer Paralympic Games include competition in archery, athletics, bocce, bowls, cycling, equestrian, football, goalball, judo, powerlifting, rowing, sailing, shooting, swimming, table tennis, volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair dance, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair tennis, and wheelchair rugby.
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games will be staged Sept. 6 through 17 in Beijing, China.
Further information about the IPC and Paralympic Games is available by accessing the website www.paralympic.org.