Chapter 374: The Big Debut (1/2)
Chapter 374: The Big Debut
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Max frowned after seeing the words on the signboard, ”Coach Lee's Physical Fitness Training Center” as he drove past the gym.
Someone actually rented that gymnasium! When and where did such a rich person come from? What kind of person is actually willing to accept such high rent? Max thought, feeling slightly annoyed.
Max and Dai Li were in the same line of work; he had also opened a physical fitness training center, and his ”Ironman” training center had a bit of fame in the northern parts of Los Angeles. Many athletes and affluent individuals would visit him to have a customized physical fitness training course made.
Apart from the physical fitness center, Max also owned two gyms and a swimming complex. He operated a bodybuilding club and a swimming club as well.
Max had always intended to expand his business, and he had been keeping an eye on that gymnasium. It had a great location and sufficient space. It was just that it wasn't cost effective because of the high rent, which deterred Max from making a move. However, Max had not given up on it because he hoped that no one would move into the gym due to the high rent, which meant that a price reduction was only a matter of time.
So when Max saw the signboard with the words, ”Coach Lee's Physical Fitness Training Center,” he felt as though something precious had been taken away from him.
Max dialed the number of his real estate agent.
”I happened to pass by the gymnasium today and saw that it has already been rented out. Do you know who's renting it?” Max asked.
”It was a Chinese man, who could also be a new immigrant,” the real estate agent answered.
”There's a Chinese guy working in the physical fitness training industry? What about the price? Did he really accept such high rent?” Max continued inquiring.
”No. As far as I know, he accepted the second proposal, the one you wouldn't accept,” the real estate agent replied honestly.
”He's willing to provide free training to para-athletes? What an arduous and fruitless job.” Max curled his lips in disdain.
”Mr. Max, to be honest with you, I don't think that this condition is harsh. After all, you get a reduction in the rent. If you had been willing to accept this back then, the gymnasium would have long ago become a training base for the Ironman Training Center,” the agent said. It was natural for the agent to want to tie up a business deal quickly since he would be able to earn an intermediary fee from it.
”I open physical fitness training centers, not physical fitness training charities!” Max exclaimed. ”Besides, when you train a para-athlete, even if you do a great job in training them, what's there to be achieved? Among those who are disabled, half of them support themselves through relief funds. They wouldn't be able to afford the course fee! If you ask me, the training center of this Chinese man won't last more than a year!”
...
At the exact moment in Seattle, a para-athletic game was underway.
Despite Seattle's location on the west coast, this para-athletic game had managed to attract many para-athletes from the east.
Thanks to low-cost airlines spread throughout the US, traveling thousands of kilometers had become extremely easy and convenient. Moreover, considering the income of an average American, the aircraft of a low-cost airline was the equivalent of a traditional ”green train” in China. Because airfares were very affordable, even low-income groups could afford to buy a ticket from low-cost airlines.
What's more, the para-athletes who arrived to participate in the competition were mostly burly men with tattoos on their body, their bodies burned or scarred.
”They are like me; they're also soldiers who retired due to injury. I think that most of them probably spent some time in Iraq!” Philip said.
Apart from a one-time insurance compensation, soldiers who retired due to injury also received a decommissioning allowance for disabled military servicemen from the government each month. That was why their economic conditions were slightly better than normal unemployed individuals.
The US encouraged disabled soldiers to participate in para-athletic games. After all, the earliest para-athletic games in the US originated from the United States Armed Forces. During the second world war, the wheelchair basketball teams formed by disabled soldiers were quite popular for a time. A wheelchair basketball association was even specially established after the second world war, and it organized tournaments throughout the US. It could be said that the history and heritage of the US National Wheelchair Basketball League wasn't that much inferior to the NBA.
For decades, the US waged war all over the world, and a large number of disabled soldiers appeared after each war. Many of the disabled soldiers soon became para-athletes, and in the next two upcoming Paralympic Games, the performance of the US team would be exceptional. When the US stopped waging war for a couple of years, the performance of the US team in the Paralympic Games would also drop.
Take the Iraq War for example. Although it had been more than a decade since the war ended, US military operations in Iraq were still ongoing, and the number of injured and disabled soldiers kept increasing. After numerous troops withdrawal, the number of soldiers stationed in Iraq still exceeded 5000, and the war had created a large number of para-athletes in the US.
Compared to the other para-athletes, Philip was a rookie. He had played football before, and it hadn't been that long since he started training in track and field.
Philip, who was standing on the track, looked extremely nervous since he kept glancing left and right. It was, after all, his first time taking part in a competition.
”Hey kid, you look awfully nervous. You should take it easy, just treat this as a practice!” said a big bearded caucasian man beside him.
”That's right, the important thing is to just to participate. Don't worry about winning or losing,” said a brown-haired man on Philip's other side as he patted Philip on the shoulder. He then continued and said, ”To be honest, I think that grouping both the T43 and T44 class together in a competition is rather unfair. But since we're here, the objective is not to beat the other competitors, it is to overcome yourself”.
The two men who spoke were both in the T44 para-athletics classification. In a para-athletic game, the T43 and T44 class actually competed together, and occasionally even the T42 class would be included. Compared to the T43 class, the disabilities of the T44 class were less severe. The T43 is an amputation performed on both legs, below the knees but above the ankle or through the ankle joint; however, the T44 is an amputation performed on one leg, below the knee and above the ankle or through the ankle joint. To put it in simpler terms, one is a disability on both legs while the other is a disability on one leg.
Theoretically speaking, a person with a one-leg disability should run faster than a person with a two-leg disability. Among the contestants, Philip was the only one from the T43 class, so his nervousness was instead interpreted by others as a pessimistic view on the outcome of the race, which had led to the advice and encouragement from the other contestants.
People tend to sympathize with the weak. In a group of people with disabilities, the one in the worst situation would get the most sympathy. The others had only lost a leg while Philip had lost both his legs, so Philip, who had lost both legs, had suddenly become the target for sympathy.
...
”The Men's 100m sprint of the T43/T44 class is about to begin. The athletes are all ready. As you can see, there is an athlete who is from the T43 class”.
As the commentator spoke enthusiastically into the microphone, he took a quick glance at the information he held in his hand before speaking again. ”The T43 class athlete is called Barron Philip. According to the information on my report, he only started sprint training a month ago, and today is his first official sprint race. Let's wish him good luck and hope he performs well!”
The excited tone of the commentator brought a wave of applause from the crowd. In truth, everyone present felt that Philip, who had lost both his legs, was the weakest among the contestants. Everyone believed that he would only be left behind by the other contestants and finish the entire race amidst encouraging applause. He would show the indomitable spirit of disabled people.
On the stands, a young father pointed towards Philip and spoke to his son, ”Jimmy, do you see that man? He has lost both his legs, but he didn't choose to stay in a wheelchair; he chose to wear a prosthesis and walk and run like an ordinary person. He can even take part in track and field competitions.”
”Then can he run very fast?” the child asked innocently.
”He has one leg less than the others, so he'll be the slowest among all the contestants, but he will cross the finish line like everyone else, and he will complete his goals,” the father answered with confidence.
At that moment, the race started at the sound of the starting pistol. The contestants began running.