Nic Hamilton doc

Hope some of you guys enjoy it as much as I did.

http://vimeo.com/38152253

Hey, thanks! I'd seen the old vid where Lewis races Nic online, but didn't realize Nic had CP. Great stuff. And a look into Anthony's mindset on top of it all. Complicated guy, that one.

You're welcome! Yeah, one of the things that really struck me was how neither Lewis nor Anthony give him any special treatment or handicap in things (eg Anthony saying if he's not going to win then there's no point in racing).

It's especially inspiring to me, having a CP victim in the family, and I've always had a secret dream to help her do something really cool in an absolute sense, no special asterisks. Maybe if the people in her life, like parents and teachers, didn't pat her on the back for everything and said well you did your best, she could have. I mean, it's not that she could realistically have a great shot at being a professional sprinter or chess grandmaster but I sadly believe that she would be more if she was given fair criticism, not just what effectively adds up to a participation trophy (incl education system).

BigD wrote: It's especially inspiring to me, having a CP victim in the family, and I've always had a secret dream to help her do something really cool in an absolute sense, no special asterisks. Maybe if the people in her life, like parents and teachers, didn't pat her on the back for everything and said well you did your best, she could have. I mean, it's not that she could realistically have a great shot at being a professional sprinter or chess grandmaster but I sadly believe that she would be more if she was given fair criticism, not just what effectively adds up to a participation trophy (incl education system).

It's odd timing that you mention that. My g/f's son is in remission from a stem cell tumor in the brain. He missed 80 days of school last year, and ended up being promoted from 2nd to 3rd grade anyway. Here in Georgia, elementary school has an "even-odd" system, where new concepts are introduced in 1st grade, reinforced in 2nd, more new stuff in 3rd, etc.

He is not doing well in 3rd grade. Completely unprepared for the new material. I think the "participation trophy" attitude you mention about your relative with CP is partially responsible for this kind of thing. We did question why he was passed into the next grade..but got nothing but the same kind of garbage as "reasons" why they decided to just keep passing him through the system. We're just working with him at home (and hiring a tutor, even though I got laid off, and she still has about $10K in medical bills to pay) in an attempt to get him up to speed.

Strange days, these days. I can't help but wonder what excuse they would have used to say he "passed" 2nd grade if he'd failed it without having a brain tumor.

How is he doing now?

I agree, I think the school system here (Western society) confuses comfort with benefit. It's much better than the system in Russia where we came from, where my sister would have just became invisible. Here, people start with the right idea but then it goes off the rails where they focus too much on making themselves feel good. They think they're being heroic by giving people with disabilities, trophies for waking up in the morning, education diplomas for batting their eyes. But in the end, it does nothing more to make them independent. They survive here better than Russia due to social assistance but at the end of the day, the business world doesn't care about participation trophies and doesn't give out jobs on that basis.

It's just like the ancient proverb about teaching a man to fish. Tossing him a fish makes you feel great about how wonderful a human being you are, and he'll be fed today. But in the long run, you've made no difference. None.

Thanks for posting that. As the father of a son with CP that hits home with me. Inspiring.

My pleasure!