Elyse Hopper
KIN 468-001
Dr. Brent Hardin
December 3, 2016
Trials Finding the Medal
The documentary, Trials Finding the Medal, directed by Daniel Koenig, follows the lives of four para-rowers. The film gives insight on the everyday life, goals, training, experiences and difficulties of an elite athlete. We are shown a glimpse of the lives of elite rowers, Daniel Ahr, Andrew Johnson, Margaret Stran, and Joshua Langston-White. We witness each athlete be tested on and off the water, and the decisions they must make to push themselves in order to achieve their dreams. U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Daniel Ahr, has always been an athlete with a competitive nature. Those traits certainty did not change even after Ahr found himself in a car accident. Through his natural motivation and determination, Ahr has always set goals with the aspirations to always achieve. Andrew Johnson was born with a rare eye disease named Leber Congenital Amaurosis. It is an inherited condition caused by a defect in the cells that detect light in the retina (rods and cones). In Andrews case, the only workable vision he has is light perception, brightness and darkness, but no color, shapes, or shadows. From a young age, Andrew found a …show more content…
We watch as athletes train while they are forced to balance their professions and families. For rowers without disabilities, the paths to success have been paved by many. U.S. Rowing states, if an athlete devotes 10 years and 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, they might become an elite rower (Ericsson, 1996). For adaptive rowers, the path to an elite level has been done by a few. Many programs are recreational and do not entail the amount of training required to reach the elite level. The support required to get an athlete to the Paralympics can be much greater than that required to get an athlete to the Olympics (Nolte,
KIN 468-001
Dr. Brent Hardin
December 3, 2016
Trials Finding the Medal
The documentary, Trials Finding the Medal, directed by Daniel Koenig, follows the lives of four para-rowers. The film gives insight on the everyday life, goals, training, experiences and difficulties of an elite athlete. We are shown a glimpse of the lives of elite rowers, Daniel Ahr, Andrew Johnson, Margaret Stran, and Joshua Langston-White. We witness each athlete be tested on and off the water, and the decisions they must make to push themselves in order to achieve their dreams. U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Daniel Ahr, has always been an athlete with a competitive nature. Those traits certainty did not change even after Ahr found himself in a car accident. Through his natural motivation and determination, Ahr has always set goals with the aspirations to always achieve. Andrew Johnson was born with a rare eye disease named Leber Congenital Amaurosis. It is an inherited condition caused by a defect in the cells that detect light in the retina (rods and cones). In Andrews case, the only workable vision he has is light perception, brightness and darkness, but no color, shapes, or shadows. From a young age, Andrew found a …show more content…
We watch as athletes train while they are forced to balance their professions and families. For rowers without disabilities, the paths to success have been paved by many. U.S. Rowing states, if an athlete devotes 10 years and 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, they might become an elite rower (Ericsson, 1996). For adaptive rowers, the path to an elite level has been done by a few. Many programs are recreational and do not entail the amount of training required to reach the elite level. The support required to get an athlete to the Paralympics can be much greater than that required to get an athlete to the Olympics (Nolte,