On June 14th Jason Pisano was inducted into the New England Wheelchair Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Induction Speech Given in Honor of Jason:
We all have a song. The one you listen to before or while you train; the one that gets you pumped up beyond all others. I always think of a song when I talk about Jay and his accomplishments. His song is Eye of the Tiger. You know….dun,…dun dun dun…(a show of hands…how many of you have listened to that song to get psyched up?). Why is it that we listen to these songs? We hear them and just know-“yeah that’s a great one”. It could be that those special songs take our minds off the pain and struggle and provide a momentary window into the spirit, the heart of what we are really doing and why we are here.
I believe that people like Jason Pisano do the same thing for us. They allow us to see the full circle of hope, struggle, pain, victory and accomplishment. There is a certain feeling we have when we see champions and we know that something within the spirit of what they are doing is what we are all searching for.
As many of you know, Jason was born with cerebral palsy. Doctors were not even sure if his brain would allow him to learn to seak, but he did. All physical momement and coordination was difficult for Jason, but difficuldt tidn’t stop him. Above all things, Jason knew how to push. He can use his left lig and foot pretty well, and he uses it to push. As a boy he used it to push a hockey stick around, a boxing glove tied to his foot, a bean bag into a simple target. Then it was pushing an old wheelchair through obstacle courses around the court and around the track. Eventually he started pushing his chair backwards, with his left leg, through 3 mile road races. In track and field events he continued to excel at the local, national and international level, winning several national honors and two World Championships. When road races were not enough, he decided to raise enough money for a fancy three wheeled racing chair (fitted with the seat backwards so he could push) and attempt a marathon. That’s 26.2 miles backwards with one foot. To date Jason has completed 42 marathons. I forgot to mention that at the same time Jason was pushing himself through college at UConn. He was staying up late into the nights working on the computer, typing away with his left toe, pushing the keys one at a time.
These are all things that Jim Kempf talked to me about when he explained how he nominated Jason for the Hall of Fame. However, his voice lit up even more when he spoke of Jasons courage. He talked about the first time he met Jason on the courts of a wheelchair soccer game. Looking at Jason he said he “felt bad for him” and “hoped he didn’t hurt him”. At sometime during the game two inevitable match up occurred. Solid strong Jim vs. little scrappy Jason. In a struggle for position, Jason and Jim rammed into each other and Jim ended up on the floor, amazed at the power and will of “this little kid.”
I can tell you from spending years with Jason at his home in Rhode Island…his walls are covered with trophies, medals, newspaper articles, an Olympic Torch he carried, letters from fans….but he never talks about this stuff. The conversation always reverts to things like “remember the race I did with second degree burns on my leg?, …how about those marathons where they told us we weren’t allowed to be part of and that we’d be arrested?...but we did it anyway, starting at 1:00 am and finishing unofficially…no glory, no credit no medals.
It is said that you should consider your worst loss better than any of your greatest victories. Jason understands this---that these are the times and experiences that build courage and character, and it is how you act during these times that bear witness to the heart and spirit of a true champion.
And do you know why else I admire Jason Pisano??? Because he goes to see his Grandmother every day. Many see him as a tough and self centered thick skinned competitor but a small thing like this speaks volumes of truth. I know he appreciates all who have supported him throughout his journey.
Inducting an athlete like Jason Pisano into the Hall of Fame reminds us of the spirit, heart and courage that we all search for. It reminds us of the value of what we are doing and that we are all a part of it. Our top athletes, our aides, our parents, coaches, our best friends, our oldest enemies on the track, even the coaches and officals that we’ve had conflict with…all are invaluable. How do I know this? I know this because in last fall’s New York Marathon, at mile 10 (?) three competitors caught up to each other. (because its his day I’ll point out that Jason dug deep and took off). What was interesting about these three is that they all were pushing with their legs, backwards, just like Jason. (and I caught this on video) What are the chances? What are the chances that this would happen. I’ll tell you what, I think the chances are pretty good. With inspiration from champions like Jason and the efforts of all the people I see here…I think the chances are very good.
The challenges and struggle for Jason continue to circle around. Just the other day he was told he should not enter a marathon or it was “not recommended” due to traffic or start time or classification or whatever excuses they made up. I look forward to seeing him rise to this challengeand I’m honored to be his friend and guide runner.
In closing I encourage Hall of Famers, athletes, coaches, helpers, family and friends to hold onto your song, listen to it, and go out tomorrow and push as hard as you can.
Jason now has a few words to say….
Hello fellow athletes, friend’s families, and officials,
I’m truly humbled by the honor the NEWAA has bestowed on me this evening. Being inducted to the hall of fame is the ultimate award for any athlete, able-bodied or disabled, and I’m grateful that this committee feels my athletic achievements deem me worthy of this tremendous honor.
To be honest with all of you I’m not sitting up here addresses you because I have always been a gifted athlete. Actually nothing could be further from the truth. When I started competing in wheelchair sports, at the ripe age of 8-years-old, I was a class 1 competing in a power chair. I remember that I couldn’t toss the beanbag more than a few feet with my foot or hold the directional stick straight enough to medal in any event at regionals. I found this frustrating at first but with a lot of practice I began to dominate many of the class 1 events. This is when I decided to get in a manual wheelchair and move up to a class 2 lower. Once again for the first few years competing as a class 2 lower I placed last in most events, but I kept at it and a few years later I began to capture regional and national titles. The greatest moment in my track & field career came in 2005 at the CP World Games in New London, Conn, when I captured two world titles in the distant kick and thrust kick for the USA. Once again, I accomplished this through hard work and believing in myself.
My marathon career began the same way that my track career started. Almost nobody gave me a chance at finishing 1 marathon in 1994. On October 5th, I will be attempting to complete my 43rd consecutive career marathon. The theme of my speech tonight is, anything is possible if you give it your all and believe in yourself.
In closing I’d like to thank my friends and family who have supported me in all my endeavors, my coach Paul Tetrault for training me, John Gallo who introduced me to weight training, Randy Spellman for being my guide through 39 of my 42 marathons, and Ray Burdick, my stepfather for be my equipment manager/ and all the other hats he wears for me, and last but not least my two biggest fans my mom Michelle Burrdick and my grandma Barbara Pisano! Without all of you I would not be up here today. Thank you everyone!
