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| STEVE BUTLER: TRI-ING For TEAM TSA |
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SARASOTA SHARKS TRI-CLUB
& SARASOTA SHARKS MASTERS SWIMMING |
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| My 2007 RACING SEASON will be dedicated to benefiting the national TOURETTE'S SYNDROME ASSOCIATION (TSA) through TEAM TSA. My GOAL: TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE AT IRONMAN FLORIDA (NOV'07) BREAKING 10:00:00 HRs and more importantly BREAKING $10,000 IN FUNDS RAISED throughout this season for a cause that is very close to my heart...and you're probably wondering "Why?".
________________If you know me...if we've ever met...or even if you've just seen me at a race or out somewhere, you'd never know...I have Tourette's Syndrome (TS). It's by design that you don't know. Hiding TS in public is a full time job that I've been working at for almost 30 years. Fighting off the urge to "tic" sometimes dozens of times per minute throughout the day, everyday, is mentally exhausting, but I'm good at it. When you come across someone with TS, know in the back of your mind , that this person is an "Ironman" in their own right. I figured I might as well do the race to make it official, since things seem to have come full circle. :0) LET ME EXPLAIN... _______
At age 12, our school swim team and I were a perfect match. They were desperate...and I at least represented a body that could potentially float to the other side of the pool. I was taken to my first swim meet, and after swimming a relay toward the end of the meet, I took a moment to reflect on how cool this experience had been for me. I needed to gets some tics out of the way so I headed off to sit on a chair by myself...or so I thought. After a few minutes of a "head flipping" tic, I turned back to face the pool to find an upperclassman at the edge of the pool right in front of me...imitating my tics right back at me. I can still remember that feeling: lack of control over your own body, a freak and definitely a target for kids at that age, and it was only going to get worse. It became a mission of mine, to do everything in my power to prevent TS from being seen...and I would never return to swim again. ________________However, sports became a major part of my life. I found that sports and music were the easiest way to totally consume my brain so that there was no brain activity leftover for TS. (Thank you ACDC & Billy Idol for getting me through pharmacy school.)
Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, I had ruptured a disc in my back and could barely walk. Along with that, I lost my ability to play sports...my main method of dealing with TS. Being laid up while living by yourself is tough. But with TS, the tics got bad enough that each one would trigger that sensational shooting pain in my back & legs. That's when the fun begins. You don't literally go insane, but you can see it from where you are. Surgery? Please! Success! (Thanks Dr. Andrew Fine) _______________During my downtime, I realized that I may have lost the ability to attempt something I had always wanted to try... TRIATHLON. When's the best time to try anything? NOW! After a couple of 5K's, I signed up for my first Tri. The only wrinkle...I'd have to get back in the pool. Triathlon has gone from survival to competition in the last 2 years. Special thanks to Sarasota YMCA's Sharks Masters Swimming and Sharks Tri-Club as well as the Manasota Track Club. What a fantastic and positive bunch of people. Thank you all. You guys ROCK! _________This really isn't about ME, it truly doesn't matter to me that people know what I'm dealing with. It IS about everyone else with TS, especially the youth. It's so easy to fall into their own secluded world, fearful of the relentless teasing from their peers, frustrated from the lack of understanding from teachers and other adults, socially inhibited to the extent of complete withdrawl, all while wondering "what is wrong with me?". They miss out on so many opportunities that life has to offer, and what they're missing may be exactly what they need to help them deal with TS and find their true potential. __________________There is something unique about people with TS. No, it's not the fact that most people with TS have OCD as well...that's a whole other amusement park. I'm finding that while everyone is special in some way, people with TS seem to be truly exceptional at something. The challenge is to overcome their fears, and go out and find what that something is. It could be music, artistic ability, leadership, literature, mathematics, sports or even just being an exceptional human being...but it's there! I'm taking it upon myself to change the way we think of TS. To increase acceptance by those without it, and to teach people that if you've got it...use it! Find a way to use it to your advantage. ______Michael Jordan, probably the best basketball player to ever play the game, was not "Michael Jordan" because of talent alone. It was his DETERMINATION and DEDICATION to "MAKE YOUR WEAKNESSES YOUR STRENGTHS" that made him a CHAMPION! ...not a bad philosophy to live by! __________With this TEAM TSA challenge, if you know me, you know that I'm not a salesperson, and the last thing I would want is to make anyone feel pressured or obligated to donate to this cause. That's not what I'm about. I simply want to make everyone aware of my project and goal, explain what it's about and why it means so much to me, and...if you find yourself willing and able to help me in this...present a way to do so. TSA is a 501 c-3 charitable organization and all donations are 100% tax deductible. TSA's mission is to identify the cause of, find the cure for and control the effects of TS, while providing education and awareness programs for this misunderstood disorder. If you have any questions or would like to help me reach my goal in any other way, please, just let me know.
THANKS...HERE'S TO A GREAT 2007! |
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Total Donations Collected:$8,692
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| Goal: $10,000 |
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