Classification

Last week this time I was in Arizona just finishing my classification appointment.  Paralympic classification groups athletes with similar abilities together to make competition more fair.  For example, it would be totally unfair for someone with an arm impairment to be racing against an athlete with full arm control.  Someone said that the point of classification is to level the starting line.

Being classified was very exciting because it opens more opportunities for me to compete.  In track and field classification, "T" stands for track and "F" stands for field.  There is a a numerical system that keeps all of the types of disability grouped together.  The numbers 11-13 are for blind athletes; 20 is for those with an intellectual impairment; and any number above that is for a physical impairment.  I am in the 50's.  This grouping contains those who are in a wheelchair for competition.

With my disability, I fall very closely between classifications T53 and T54.  The difference between the two is how much abdominal control you have.  I was classified as a T54 because although I do not have full ab control, I would have a distinct advantage over some T53's who have no ab control at all.  Basically,  my advantages as a T53 did not outweigh my disadvantages as a T54.  Although this means that I would have to work harder, it would be totally unfair for my to be in the T53 classification.

Here are some great links:

For more details on classification please see US-Paralympics/Athlete-Classifications.

For more information on track and field classification see US-Paralympics/athlete-classifications/track-and-field/.