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One Leg Up On the Paralympics with Team USA Wheelchair Basketball Captain Steve Serio; Justice for Jordan Chiles 8-14-24 · OneLegUpAlex Media

• 0:01
  Speaker 1: Here's your host, Alex Garrett. Thank you Steve Sirio for
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: reminding us that the Para Olympics are.
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: Two weeks away.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: You know, everybody to talk about the Olympics and the incredible
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: runs of both the women's basketball, the men's basketball, women's soccer.
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: But the end of the show, the closing ceremony did
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: feature the Paralympics.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: But I want to catch that wave and not make
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: you forget about it.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Two weeks from today, disabled athletes will compete, not participate,
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: in the twenty twenty four Paralympics in Paris. And before
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: I play my interview with Steve Sirio, here's why I'm
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: fired up today, all right, because Steve Cirio wrote this.
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: On his profile.
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  Speaker 1: I won't be participating at the Paris twenty twenty four
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: Paralympic Games. I will be competing Steve zero eleven, Steve
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: Cirio eleven scer Io. Paralympians have often been described by
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: the media as participants and not competitors at Paris twenty
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: twenty four. It's time we get the records straight. Tune
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: in to the Paralympics from August twenty eighth September eighth,
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  Speaker 1: hashtag not playing games, and it's true. I've talked with
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: Ryan Martin about this. I've talked with Joe Solonka about this.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Disabled athletes adaptive sports.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: Is not some it's bo porn. It's competitive.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: You on the ground level might be saying, oh, look,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Grady is shooting the basket.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: Even if he misses it. The competitor says, why.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: The f did I missed that basketer, Yes, I finally
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: made that basket. See, if you're not living in the
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: disabled athletes shoes, you'll just think it's a cute little thing.
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: But it's not.
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  Speaker 1: There's gold medals at Steak, there's bronze medals to stake,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: there's Siwer mederals at stick.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: And god damn it, there is country.
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: Pride at Steak in the Para Olympics. And I've grown
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: up around this from the wheelchair basketball days at VISCARTI,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: from the Adaptive Sports daye with Anthony Fitzgerald. And we
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: all have a competitive streak in US. We all have
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: any competitive streak in US, And as I've said before,
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: that competitive streak gets as far in life as well,
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  Speaker 1: because whether we like.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: It or not, we gotta start buying me eight ball.
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  Speaker 1: It's not just putting a basket in the hoop from
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: a wheelchair.
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  Speaker 2: It's to come yeah exactly. It's competing for your country,
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  Speaker 2: it's competing with pride.
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  Speaker 1: It's showing the world that we are more than just
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  Speaker 1: our We are more than just our escape with one way.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: We are more than just our power chair.
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  Speaker 1: We have personality too, and I think that personality shows
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  Speaker 1: up on the court along with the skill set. Well,
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: that being said in honor of the two weeks till
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  Speaker 1: Paris twenty twenty four Paralympics, and hope we will la
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Paralympian Nicole Nieba Song. She's a Queen's College grad and
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: we've been friends for a long time. Open to averon
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: after the Paralympics and maybe have Steve Cereal back, but
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: for now, for now, here's when I caught up with
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  Speaker 1: Steve at the Cunie Basketball Camp Adaptive basketball camp a
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: couple of years ago at the Fitzgerald Jim. But here
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  Speaker 1: is Steep Cirio, the Paralympic captain for wheelchair basketball Team USA.
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  Speaker 1: Anna viscardianore by the way, congrats on that, But what
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  Speaker 1: do you think of today's Cuney Camp.
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: Day two man I have a presence here in New
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  Speaker 3: York or at CuNi is really a kind of a
• 4:03
  Speaker 3: humbling experience for me. I started playing wheelchair basketball maybe
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: twenty years ago, and I never would have thought that
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: there'd be so much buy in from the Punity program.
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: I'm so grateful that the investment into the Paralympics adaptive
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: sport community is really ripe here and I know that
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: the future is incredibly right for this program.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: It is cool. I have a community graduate from Queen's
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  Speaker 1: College actually, so this is my alma modern.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: To see it evolve like this is really cool.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: But you've been around the world obviously with Team USA.
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: What's the reaction been to wheelchair basketball?
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  Speaker 1: Are people picking up to this?
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  Speaker 3: You know, wilchair basketball is probably the most prolific adaptive
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  Speaker 3: sport that we have all throughout the world. It's one
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  Speaker 3: of those most included. It's one of the more inclusive
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  Speaker 3: sports that able bodies and people disabilities can can be
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: on the same court together. And we really can show
• 4:49
  Speaker 3: that when we're provided with the right tools and the
• 4:51
  Speaker 3: right support, you know, we can kind of discover the
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: athlete within within each of us. And I know that
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  Speaker 3: I've I've done that through wheelchair basketball and looking forward
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: to seeing the next generation do that here at UNI.
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: Well, I'd love to get you for a longer interview
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: at some points, let's say in touch and Steve, thanks
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: so much. And yet the athlete within this, I love
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: that as someone would competed at the Empires and Games
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: for this physically challenged the NASA County Victory Challenge now
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: named from.
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  Speaker 2: Age five to twenty one. The athletic.
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  Speaker 1: Instinct is in so many athletes with disabilities and if
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: people just open their eyes beyond how inspirational or how
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  Speaker 1: whatever this is for some and just see these people
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  Speaker 1: are people and athletes first.
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  Speaker 2: Not someone with disability, then I think we'd be a
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  Speaker 2: better off. I think we would be in.
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  Speaker 1: A better place if people just saw us for of
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  Speaker 1: the and people do, but there are still much more
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  Speaker 1: to go. And when Steve Sirir says the media doesn't
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  Speaker 1: label the Paralympics as competitive.
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  Speaker 2: That should fire up.
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  Speaker 1: The disabled athlete to show how they are beyond their wheelchair.
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  Speaker 2: And and the cool thing is.
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  Speaker 1: Steve Cereo and Team Wheelchair Team USA Wheelchair Basketball and
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  Speaker 1: tim USA Volleyball Paralymic Volleyball, They're not just competing for
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  Speaker 1: the country. They're competing for all people with disabilities across
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  Speaker 1: the sea in Paris.
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  Speaker 2: And I'm so thankful I got that little.
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  Speaker 1: Sound bite from Steve Cereo, the athlete within us, the
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: athlete within us.
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  Speaker 2: I love that line.
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  Speaker 1: I really do sping up athletes and uh, the just
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  Speaker 1: finished Olympics. Jordan Childs is in this controversy where she
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: had the bronze medal and it.
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: Was stripped away from.
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  Speaker 1: Her, and someone's out there making a difference for her
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  Speaker 1: or trying to anyway.
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  Speaker 2: On August night. On August fifth, Jordan Chiles won a.
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  Speaker 1: Bronze medal for the individual floor exercide performance at the
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  Speaker 1: Paris Olympics, following our coach appealing a low score.
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  Speaker 2: On August eleventh.
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  Speaker 1: Several days of in quarries of appeals, the IOC, we
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: love the IOC right decided to strip Jordan of a
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  Speaker 1: bronze medal due to quote unquote judging error.
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: On August fifth, the petition starter MOE.
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: For Change dot Org is urging the IOC to reverse
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: their decision and allow Jordan Chiles to.
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  Speaker 2: Keep her medal.
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  Speaker 1: I've signed this petition now start by MOE long the
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: ol and they have to get twenty five hundred. I'm
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: gonna share this link with my audience here in the link, belone,
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  Speaker 1: but I do feel like this is unfinished business from
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: the Olympics.
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  Speaker 2: You're gonna take away the bronze after she was duly
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: awarded it. That just doesn't make sense.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: Mosheshido wrote this hiver One. My name is Mosushido. If
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: you've been keeping up with the Olympics or the news
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: in general, you are probably aware that Jordan Chiles has
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: been ordered by the IOC to return a bronze medal.
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: As someone who has grown up in sport and knows
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  Speaker 1: how much professional athletes have to go bit.
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: Have been through to get to where they are, this
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  Speaker 2: is not justifiable. iOS. You should know better.
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  Speaker 1: Please keep help me sign the petition to help get
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: Jordan Chiles or bronze medal back back. In the twenty
• 8:53
  Speaker 1: twenty one Olympics, two athletes were awarded gold medals in
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  Speaker 1: the men's high jud because they both cleared the same height.
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: Jordan and Anna both deserve the bronze medal. Their scores
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: are extremely close.
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  Speaker 2: If the two.
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: Athletes in long jump were both to get him it
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  Speaker 1: gold medals, three years ago. Jordan and Anna can both
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  Speaker 1: be given bronze. I'm gonna visit the page and share
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: this with her with you to get justice for Jordan Chiles,
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  Speaker 1: at least give her the bronze back.
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  Speaker 2: IOC, after your role in the.
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  Speaker 1: The controversial parts of this Olympics, I think it's only
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: right to rake the ship and give Jordan Chiles her
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: bronze back. There's no question a coach appealed and she
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: won the bronze medal, and if it's not directly hers
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: only and led her and shared the medal.
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  Speaker 2: That's all we're asking for. IOC. Make it right and
• 10:03
  Speaker 2: we'll see you in the twenty twenty eight LA for the.
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: Olympics, and we'll keep track of the Paralympics for you
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: here on the Alex Garrett podcast Network.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: Go t USA