Kelly’s mom, concerned about her daughter’s energenic pace, asks Tom if he thought Kelly might need a special handle bar. Tom, seeing that Kelly had mastered the tricycle despite the difficulty posed by the handlebar, says “No, she’s doing great.”

A year and a half later Tom and Katie move and contact with the Crowleys is lost in the hussle and bussle of life. Lost that is until last year, when through a friend, Tom is reintroduced to Kelly Crowley and the magnitude of her accomplishments. In short, a childhood filled with competitive swimming. Graduating from Santa Clara University as the valedictorian of her class. Earning a Master’s in Public Administration from Indiana University. Returning to competitive swimming and collecting 17 national titles, numerous American records, at one point simultaneously holding the records in all the freestyle events. In 2002, she won one silver and two bronze medals at the IPC Swimming World Championships. In 2003, she was the only American Paralympic swimmer to be invited to the FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, where she finished 2nd and set a new American record in the 100m Freestyle. She also set two World Records--in the 200 Freestyle and the 400 Individual Medley. In 2004, she won two gold medals at the Athens Paralympic Games in a pair of relays, the 100 freestyle and the 100 medley. At age 29, Kelly decided to transition into cycling.

Inspired by Kelly’s character and resolve, Tom volunteers to help Kelly reach her goal of making the National team and the Olympic team. He could see she was a strong rider but realized that, unlike her tricycle days, she had trouble holding on to the handlebar. So now with specially designed Ritchey handlebars, Kelly is proving to be an unstoppable force. She won the women’s road race at the 2007 U.S. Paralympics Road Cycling National Championships, and in August will compete at the IPC Cycling World Championships in Bordeaux, France.

Kelly in turn, was impressed by Tom’s non-profit efforts in Rwanda and has taken on a new role as the Riding Ambassador for Project Rwanda. Look for her in the Project Rwanda jersey and you will see perseverance on wheels. She says,

One of my goals is to inspire everyone, disabled or not, to focus on their talents and abilities, and to search out the opportunities that will let them follow their dreams.

What Kelly lacks in conventional appendage features she has more than made up for with an infectious self-confidence and a tenacity to prove wrong the perception that a disability is disabling. After the World Championships in France, Kelly will join Tom in Rwanda for the second annual Wooden Bike Classic. This two day bicycling festival brings together world class cyclist, adventure tourist and the Rwandan people who carry hundreds of pounds of goods daily with bikes that are falling apart and jury-rigged together. (An issue being addressed by Project Rwanda's Coffee Bike program). Additionally Kelly will meet with the Rwandan Paralympics basketball team, who according to my sources are red hot. Kelly should feel at home in Rwanda, as she will be surrounded by people who share her passion to succeed, and a determination to overcome all obstacles.

The Paralympics are the equivalent of the Olympics for people with disabilities. They are hosted in the same year and in the same city as the Olympics, and hold their opening ceremonies just after the Olympic closing ceremony. The Paralympics are the second-largest sporting event in the world, second only to the Olympics.
http://www.usoc.org/paralympics/