Disabled but not limited: Columbia cyclist aims for 2012 Paralympics
By JOEY HOLLEMAN - jholleman@thestate.com
Aaron Trent's little sister learned to ride a bike without training wheels before he did.
She was 5 and proud. He was 6 and frustrated.
It didn't matter that one of Aaron's legs was much shorter than the other, that his left arm and hand were bent from a cerebral palsy-like condition, making it hard to grasp handlebars. He was determined.
Columbia resident Aaron Trent took one silver and one bronze medal at the Para-Cycling World Championships recently in England. He spent most of the summer training with the U.S. Paralympic team in Colorado Springs, and his goal is to compete at the 2012 Paralympics, held in London immediately after the Olympics. PHOTO: Gerry Melendez/gmelendez@thestate.com
Columbia resident Aaron Trent took one silver and one bronze medal at the Para-Cycling World Championships recently in England. He spent most of the summer training with the U.S. Paralympic team in Colorado Springs, and his goal is to compete at the 2012 Paralympics, held in London immediately after the Olympics. PHOTO: Gerry Melendez/gmelendez@thestate.com
And before long, he had managed to teach his body to balance on a bike without training wheels.
Seventeen years later, "beating my sister no longer is the goal," Aaron said, smiling at his understatement.
Aaron, who earned one silver and one bronze medal at the 2009 Para-cycling Track World Championships this month, is aiming for the 2012 Paralympics in London. The 23-year-old Columbia resident took a break from classes at USC this school year to train at home and at the U.S. Paralympic team headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Much like that 6-year-old fixated on riding without training wheels, Aaron plans to put his entire focus on the 2012 event for the next two years.
"I want to do everything I can to ensure I'm as fast as I can be in London," Aaron said.
Peggy Trent, who home-schooled her son through high school, wholeheartedly approves of him putting college on hold to chase his dream. She used to work with a woman who gave up on an Olympic dream to move on with her life and later regretted it.
"You've got one shot at this, you need to go for it," Peggy Trent said. "You'll never know if you can do it if you don't try."
That attitude has been in place almost from the day 4-month-old Aaron suffered a severe allergic reaction to penicillin. The resulting stroke damaged the infant's brain, causing a condition similar to cerebral palsy.
The limbs on the left side of his body are smaller and malformed. For years, he wore out the top of his left shoe because he dragged that leg. His left hand was bent back toward his forearm, and his left elbow didn't flex properly. Surgery at age 12 straightened his wrist a bit and gave him more use of his left hand and arm.
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