Blog Post Rotation 3

 Book: Blade Runner
Author: Oscar Pistorius
Genre: Autho-biography
Pages: 222

In 2004 Oscar Pistorius participated in the Paralympics in Athens, he raced against some of the greatest amputee athletes for example Brian Frasure, the reigning champion back then. He was only 17 and very nervous, there had been 4 false starts, but now everyone was ready, the crowd cheering, lights shining... finally the sound of the gun, but Oscar was still, he thought it was a 5th false start. Anyone could think he was about to come last, he had a 1.8 second disadvantage, yet as he writes on page 101, " I ran for all it was worth, managed to catch the pack, and went on to win the gold medal." Oscar still looks back to this day, remembering the Olympic village he stayed in, they had unlimited food/drinks, entertainment such as PlayStation etc. He even met people that he could bond with and look up to. After having won the 100 race in the Paralympics the journalists were all over him (it was the first time), they started changing his words and he took it personally but he came to realize that they were just doing their job and writing from different perspectives. Yet the one thing he doesn't understand and wishes would change, is the way people see Olympics vs. Paralympics. In one of his chapters he writes how when a normal athlete runs a race slower than usual the media is all over them, asking them why how etc. Yet when an amputee/disabled athlete runs slower than his usual they comment on the great sportsmanship and will to go on. He himself loves both events and understands that both disabled/ non-disabled athletes, are hard workers and should be treated the same. He writes, "I am not a Paralympic athlere, nor am I an Olympic athlete. I am simply an athlete and sprinter. "- Page 105

· 

(Oscar catching up to the others, 2004)


1. Self actualization is the act of learning what you are capable of doing. Human beings do this their entire lives by learning, watching, trying and doing. If a person just sits around the whole day watching tv and eating chips he/she will never discover what they are capable of, whereas if a person gets off their lazy butt and starts trying new things, they will find something that entertains them and have a goal in life. A self actualized human being tries out new things and takes risks even thought he/she may embarrass themselves.And they  accepts themselves and the surrounding, they are able to enjoy themselves and treat other people equally regardless of the background, current status and other 'socio -economic and cultural factors'.

2. One unique thing I have discovered about Oscar Pistorius is that he is very much like any average person. Even thought he may be an inspiring person etc. he still takes days off with his family, has a normal love life etc. Also while I was reading his book I came across a page that basically told me where his inspiration came from. When he was 17 he went to his first Paralympics in Athens, Greece to an Olympic village where during his free time he went to see a 200 butterfly swimming race. There was a man who had the time double the one of the others, he was missing 1 arm and both legs. Oscar found great inspiration in this man because when he asked him why he is racing if he always loses, he answered he was competing for himself and his goal was to improve his time not the one of others. Oscar writes, "He struck a profound chord with me," on page 104.

3. Oscar Pistorius' first school was the Constantia Kloof Primary School where he went with older brother Carl. Finished primary school Oscar went to Pretoria Boys' High School (an English speaking boarding school), he attended the school from 2001-2005. Pretoria HS was concentrated on sports such as swimming, running, rugby, shooting etc. Once of Oscar's memories is: he made friends with a boy named Chris, he offered to carry his bag around since it was very heavy, and because Oscar didn't have normal legs he wanted to help. Oscar found this weird yet accepted, until one day when Oscar was running late and sprinted the whole field to class and of course Chris saw him. "He was furious with me for having taken advantage of his kindness, but it was the start of a strong friendship that is still dear to me today. I learnt my lesson thought."-Page 67. At Pretoria's HS other kids played tricks on him, which made him fit in so he didn't mind. For example, they would set the dormitory on fire and take his prosthetic legs during the night, he would then be in panic because everyone had escaped, but then they would calm the fire and give him his legs back. Or they would hide his legs making him late for class landing him in detention. Oscar says, "When you come to a new school you have to learn the classes, teachers, people etc. in my opinion, all this effort is worthwhile as boarding school is such fun,"-68, he enjoyed his stay at the HS. Then there were kids called the PERFECTS, they were the 30 best seniors, they would help the younger ones and be like the teachers helpers.  The school taught everyone to respect one another and respect the traditions of the school, the kids learned to take care of their appearance and that behavior and appearance reflected on the school. The teachers trusted the perfects because they had been through this process already. Another thing which is unique about his HS, is that if anyone in the school does something bad, forgets someones name etc. they get punishments called obstan. One is the written punishment where one has to write a 1000 word essay about a topic, the physical punishment was to run and make it under a specific time limit, painting etc. During his stay at this school Oscar felt no passion for running, but the school concentrated on excellence and making people good at 1 or 2 sports, some students even made it to the nationals under eighteen. The 2 sports Oscar played back then where rugby and water-polo, but every single person in the school was very fit because the school had four obligatory track races per week, therefore it was easier to be a boarded, not having to travel all the time. After getting seriously tackled during a rugby game in 2003, he had to start rehabilitation by running, so he even joined the schools relay team. Oscar ran the last track and even set a new world record back then. And lastly, Pistorius began studying for a Bachelor of Commerce in business management with sports science at the University of Pretoria in 2006.'In a June 2008 interview for his University's website, he joked: "I won't graduate soon. With all the training I have had to cut down on my subjects. Hopefully I'll finish by the time I'm 30!" Asked by a journalist for his "sporting motto", he said: "You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have."'

0

· 

·    

(Oscar's High School)
As I was researching a few days ago, I came along a newspaper article, which doesn't have anything to do with his achievements, but it is good news. It basically states that some charges have been released and Oscar Pistorius is free to compete in the World Athletics Championships in Moscow.
 ‘He’s going to be the one that determines running and training. It’s his call. He’s the one under all the pressure for the court case and grieving for Reeva.’ - his trainings are rougher due to the pressure, yet he is still has a great opportunity to do something right again. Nevertheless, The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) is opening doors to him whereas he is anything but invited to the Manchester City Games in May. This is the website: http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/29/oscar-pistorius-set-to-enter-world-athletics-championships-in-moscow-3565148/