Reflections

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Hello fellow friends, as we have come to an end I want to thank you all for reading these past few weeks. I've learned a lot about blogging and Oscar throughout this process. Though there were many challenges, I found many rewards that came along with this blogging process.
While researching I didn't really know how Oscar had lost his legs. I expected there to be a bloody or horrific tragedy that came along with it. Then finding out that he had been born with an absence of fibulae in both his left and his right legs when he was 11 months old, was very surprising.
I also found how he began running very interesting. I went into this process thinking that Oscar had been running his life, only to find out that he first started running when he was 16 after shattering his knee participating in high school rugby, in June of 2003.
Throughout this blogging experience I came across many difficulties including the difficulty that came with researching. I found researching very frustrating when not being able to find the credentials I needed to meet the standards of the particular post.  
I also found difficulty in figuring out how to exactly use a blog. I guess if you've used a blog in the past you could say its easy, but never using a blog before it was a little frustrating when trying to figure out how to post posts, and use hyperlinks.
While blogging I had the opportunity to do a lot of exploring, not only on Oscar but also on the blog itself. I ended up learning a lot while on this journey, it was very rewarding. I learned how to use a blog and be able to communicate with people in that way. But I also learned a lot more about Oscar than I originally expected; from his family life, to his running career, to how he has been able to make it as far as he has.
1 other thing I found rewarding was the freedom to kind of branch off for a while from what everyone else was doing and be treated like adults. Being given an assignment and a deadline and having it be due by that deadline.
Again I wish to thank you all for keeping up with me in my adventure of blogging. I hope you enjoyed and found Oscar Pistorius as interesting as I, myself, did.

The Best Of...

https://www.google.com/search?q=oscar+pistorius+top+100+most+influential+men&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=NtrIUJGiD9PE2QWpp4Fg&biw=1024&bih=672&sei=ONrIULrYN-XE2gXxgYGwBA#biv=i|2;d|GJSIEYogSAhTrM:

As my Oscar blogging is slowly coming to an end, I would like to finish strong by sharing some of what I think are Oscars greatest accomplishments.

5.) After recovering from his rugby injury Pistorius ran his first competitive 100m race January 28, 2004 for Pretor La Boys High School in a time of 11.72 seconds. After the race his father looked up how Oscars time compared to the best in the world. Henk, Oscars father, discovered that his 17-year-old sons time was faster than the existing Paralympic world record of 20.20 seconds. (1)

http://www.oscarpistorius.com/about (1)

4.) invited by family friend Chris Hatting, June of 2004, to the United States got the opportunity to trial Össur Manufactured Flex Foot Cheetahs for the first time. After training the feet he was given his very own pair, and 8 months later stepping on the track.

http://www.littlegatepublishing.com/2012/06/oscar-pistorius-record-breaker/

3.) May of 2008 Oscar was nominated as being 1 of 100 men chosen as being Time Magazines top 100 most influential people in the world. Oscar having the opportunity as being listed as 3rd in the heroes and pioneers list.

http://www.ossur.com/?PageID=13032&NewsID=2253

2.) February 6 of 2012 Oscar was awarded the Laureus award for athlete with a disability. Receiving the award Pistorius said, "This is just a great privilege to be nominated, it is really humbling to be here. To all the Laureus Academy Members, all you guys and icons who a lot of us still competing look up to, thank you very much." (2)

http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2012/02/07/oscar-pistorius-wins-2012-laureus-world-award/ (2)

1.) Being honored with the privilege to compete in the 2012 London summer Olympics, Oscar Pistorius jumped on his opportunity. Running in the 400m dash he took second with a time of 45.44s qualifying him for semifinals. During semifinals, Oscar had an unfortunate loss of 8th place running in with a time of 46.54s. Oscar stated with a positive attitude "Its one thing being here and another thing performing here...My aim was to make the semifinals. Its a dream come true."(3)

http://www.oscarpistorius.com/news/1285-oscar-makes-history-at-london-2012-olympic-games (3)

http://www.oscarpistorius.com/about/timeline

What an amazing life Oscar has lived so far in 25 years. His list of accomplishments could go on and on and I'm sure it will continue to due so but I hope you've enjoyed this post and hopefully find it as inspiring as I did.

Olympics

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Not as fast, strong, or dedicated to running as Oscar Pistorius, I myself have always been a runner. Growing up chasing my siblings around the house, to participating in soccer and basketball as a young kid. One of the biggest questions tossed around during this summer’s 2012 Olympic games in London was whether or not to let amputee, Oscar Pistorius run in the 400m due to an aroused argument of whether he would have had an unfair advantage from his carbon-fiber blades.
After doing some research I came across two credible sources, taking opposite sides on this question. One from ESPN summer Olympics and one from Huffington posts, comparing and contrasting the pros and cons of both sides of this courageous story.
According to ESPN summer Olympics Oscar had every right to compete in the 2012 Olympics, which one might agree. While his selection to run in the 400m dash was likely, it was only a last minute surprise by South African sports officials that gave Pistorius the opportunity to run in his specialty event at the Olympic games. South Africans Olympic committee and national track federation decided to clear Pistorius for the 400m at the London Olympic games on his carbon-fiber blades.
On the contrary Huffington post brought up some reasonable statistics. Muscle tendon units are viscoelastic demonstrating both vicous and elastic properties when subjected to deformation. The more viscous a material may be, the harder it is to move. Carbon-fiber prosthetics act more like akin to something that is elastic, demonstrating faster recoil. In other words, when stretched or when force is applied it returns back to its original state much quicker than muscle.
In my opinion I believe Oscar Pistorius is hard working and dedicated. He battled his way through life and fought his way through the press and haters, and pulled out a great 2nd place during the preliminaries. He deserved every right to be there at the 2012 summer Olympics held in London.


http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/trackandfield/story/_/id/8129325/olympics-2012-south-african-double-amputee-oscar-pistorius-run-400m
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rami-hashish/oscar-pistorius-prosthetic-legs-advantage_b_1766417.html

The History of Prosthetics

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I became interested in learning more about the history of prosthetics after my grandma had her right leg amputated twice. The first time from below the knee and then a couple weeks later the second time above her knee, 5 years ago after the circulation throughout her limbs started to deteriorate.
And then again after seeing Oscar Pistorius compete in this past summers, 2012 Olympic games in London. Oscar has had both legs amputated for 25 years now, after making the final decision to amputate both of his legs below the knee, when he was 11 months old, due to the fact that he had been born with an absent fibulae in both of his lower legs.
The history of prosthetics goes way back to the fifth egyptian dynasty(2750-2625 B.C.) The earliest known written reference to a prosthetic limb was made around 500B.C. Herodotus wrote of a prisoner who escaped from his chains by cutting off his own foot which later was replaced with a wooden peg. A prosthetic limb dating back to 300B.C., was a copper and wood leg unearthed at Capri, Italy in 1858.(2)
In 1529 french surgeon, Ambroise Pare introduced the amputation as a lifesaving medical advancement. In 1863, Dubois L. Parmelee made an improvement to tue attachment of a prosthetic limb by fastening a body socket to the limb with atmospheric pressure. In 1898 Dr. Vanghetti invented an artificial limb through muscle contraction. In 1946 a major advancement was created. A suction sock for the above-knee prosthesis was created at the University of California at Berkeley.(2) During the 1950's the need for better limb controls became more popular after World War II with the huge spurt in young active amputees. Brian Blatchford developed resources concentrated on a new knee that would stabilize while bearing weight but also swing freely during walking. In 1975 Ysidro Martinez began to make an improved model of a below the knee prosthesis. And in modern day, 21 century, prosthetics are commonly known to be made from plastic and fiber glass. Some can also be controlled electronically.(1)
This here is a sneak peak of the history of prosthetics, and how they came to be.

(1) http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-history-of-prosthetics-then-to-now 

(2) http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blprosthetic.htm 

Prosthesis

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Also known as “donning” prosthesis is a commonly known type of replacement or artificial body limb of a former limb. When one is beginning the process of being fitted for a prosthetic he or she would begin by having measurements taken. If possible the prosthetist might begin taking measurements before the amputation of the limb. The doctor and prosthetist also might meet before surgery to discuss last minute details about the operation. Several weeks after surgery and after the wound has healed and the swelling has gone down a plaster mold is taken of what is left of the limb. This mold is then used as a template to test the fit of the prosthetic limb as the actual prosthetic is being built. Also while manufacturing the final prosthetic doctors tend to pay close attention to the structures of the patients residual limb. Including the locations of any muscles, tendons, bones, and the condition of the patients skin. Physical therapy after an amputation and fitting of a prosthetic device is extremely important. Therapy might focus on using your new prosthetic in everyday activities. Close attention is taken to the interface between the patients residing limb and his or her prosthetic socket especially since, on average prosthetic devices have a lifespan of about 3 years. After an amputation, a patients limb will typically shrink over the next several months as swelling goes down and muscle begins to either build or shrink from lack of use. it is possible that a new prosthetic limb may be made to fit the current size of the limb. A prosthetic must also work extremely closely with children due to the fact that they are slowly growing and changing size.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/prosthetic-limb3.htm 

Pistorius' Passion

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Brainy Quotes references that:

Pistorius once said "I want to wake up every day and feel that I'm training harder, that I'm dieting harder, that I'm recovering better. That's is what gives me confidence when I'm lining up on the blocks. I've never gone out to prove people wrong. I just want to be the best that i can possibly be." 

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/o/oscar_pistorius.html 

Oscar Pistorius is a well known Paralympic runner. When he was 11 months old he had both legs amputated below the knee after being born with an absent fibulae in both of his lower legs. Oscars most recent accomplishment was being able to be the first amputee to have the opportunity to run in both the Paralympics and the olympics after passionately fighting for 6 years to be able to run in the 2012 summer olympic games in London.he had the privilege to run in the 400 meter dash, and was able to take 2nd in his preliminary heat with a time of 45.44 seconds. Qualifying him for semifinals, where Pistorius took last with a time of 46.54 seconds. Oscar is no ordinary athlete after finishing with a smile on his face.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/o/oscar_pistorius.html

http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/oscarpistorius.html

Oscars Opportunities

http://www.oscarpistorius.com/

Oscar growing up as a young boy with both legs amputees, he soon discovered his passion for sports. After partaking in rugby, water polo, and tennis in high school he was introduced to track and field after a serious rugby knee injury in June 2003. After undergoing rehabilitation at the University of Pretoria's High Performance Centre he was introduced to his new found passion of running as a double legged amputee from below the knee. Pistorius founded growing up, sooner than later and once said, that "You are not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have."(2) When oscar was younger he got 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 tattooed on his left shoulder blade. It reads as follows "Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached it to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." (1)He decided to get it one night during a visit to New York after not being able to sleep one night. He says he took the subway uptown and just walked round for awhile after finding himself in a tattoo parlor. Pistorius said "some Puerto Rican guy did it. It took from 2am to about 8:30am. I think he was falling asleep after a while, which is why it's a little squiggly at the bottom. But I like it that way. To me, it makes it look more authentic."

(1) http://www.athleteslivehere.com/blog/2012/08/qualifying-for-more-than-gold-oscar-pistorious/
(2) http://delanasworld.wordpress.com/tag/oscar-pistorius/