Medal Quest RSS feed for PBS programming.http://video.pbs.orgen-ushttp://video.pbs.orgThu, 23 May 2013 19:12:23 -0400Thu, 23 May 2013 19:12:23 -0400http://video.pbs.org/video/2291360152/As the Games ended, MEDAL QUEST’s Paralympians talked about how welcome they felt in London. The fans “treat me like one of their own,” says Dartanyon Crockett, as he and his teammates on Team USA remember the “awesome” competition. “I’m so glad I was here!” says Paul Schulte.http://video.pbs.org/video/2291360152/10/15/2012Team USA athletes call the London Games “the best experience in my life.”nrNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2289399917/For Tatyana McFadden, London 2012 is her third Paralympics, a chance to add even more medals. For her sister Hannah, 16 years old, it’s a first-time experience. Their mother says she’s already won gold, having these two remarkable athletes as daughters.http://video.pbs.org/video/2289399917/10/10/2012A London first: Sisters Tatyana and Hannah McFadden compete head-to-head in the 100m.nrNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2288855206/Cheri Blauwet, seven-time Paralympic medalist and now a medical doctor, talks about injuries, athlete classifications, and doping controls. “I loved competing,” she tells MEDAL QUEST, and she’s proud to be working now to improve rights and health for all individuals with disabilities.http://video.pbs.org/video/2288855206/10/09/2012Dr. Cheri Blauwet, 7-time Paralympic medalist, on athlete injuries and doping controls.nrHealthHealthFitness & NutritionFitness & NutritionNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2286855285/Archers Jeff Fabry and Matt Stutzman knew, going in to the Games, that the competition would be fierce in each of their divisions. Fabry, who releases the arrow with a mouth tab, and Stutzman, who shoots with his feet, fought their way through to the finals -- and two medals for Team USA.http://video.pbs.org/video/2286855285/10/04/2012Jeff Fabry and Matt Stutzman on the mental toughness it takes to medal in Para-Archery.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2284025642/Exactly a year before the 2012 Paralympic Games, Navy Lt. Bradley Snyder was injured in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. He set a goal of becoming a Paralympic swim champion, so he could continue to “take a lot of pride in the uniform I wear.”http://video.pbs.org/video/2284025642/09/26/2012Brad Snyder, injured in Afghanistan, says the Paralympics is his way “to keep serving.”nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2281626069/USA’s wheelchair basketball players Paul Schulte and Joseph Chambers talk MEDAL QUEST through their bronze medal match against Great Britain’s “really good” players. The hometown crowd was so loud in their support of Team GB, Schulte says, that “You absolutely could not hear.”http://video.pbs.org/video/2281626069/09/20/2012Laying it all on the line in the men’s wheelchair basketball bronze match: US v. Britain.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2277749754/Andy Cohn and Nicholas Springer of USA Wheelchair Rugby talked to MEDAL QUEST after the U.S. beat Team Great Britain. The London crowd was screaming for the hometown heroes, but Cohn says it’s just “awesome” to have so many passionate fans and Springer adds, “This is where the excitement begins!”http://video.pbs.org/video/2277749754/09/11/2012Wheelchair rugby is played by quadriplegics in armored chairs - and Team USA plays to win.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2277297896/The most high-profile race in the Paralympics is the Men’s 100m sprint (T44), headlined by South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius, called “the fastest man on no legs.” The 2012 race challengers included the world record holder, Jonnie Peacock of Great Britain, plus a trio of fast Americans: Blake Leeper, Jerome Singleton, and Richard Browne.http://video.pbs.org/video/2277297896/09/09/2012Less than 11 seconds determines who can call himself the fastest man at the 2012 Games.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2276806740/Cyclist Allison Jones knew she wanted to get to the London Paralympics, even if she had to buy her own ticket and come as a spectator. Instead, she made Team USA and, racing on the first day of the Games, she won America’s first medal.http://video.pbs.org/video/2276806740/09/07/2012Racing on the first day of the London Games, Allison Jones won Team USA’s first medal.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2276392762/Rudy Garcia-Tolson decided last year to try to qualify in two Paralympic sports, on the track and in swimming. With heats and qualifying events before the finals, he’s competing more than a dozen times in the two weeks of the 2012 Games.http://video.pbs.org/video/2276392762/09/06/2012Rudy Garcia-Tolson set a goal: to compete in both track and swimming at the Paralympics.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2276039079/Blake Leeper wasn’t satisfied with the silver medal he won at last year’s Parapan American Games. He wanted to run faster, and after that competition, he tells MEDAL QUEST, he worked with his prosthetist to make running legs that fit him just perfect.”http://video.pbs.org/video/2276039079/09/05/2012Blake Leeper wants to win, and he warns folks not to “judge a book by its cover.”nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2275701319/On September 1, the Paralympic judo athletes worked their way from starting rounds to final medals. Myles Porter, competing in the -100 kg class, and Dartanyon Crockett, in the -90 kg group, describe a day they’ll never forget.http://video.pbs.org/video/2275701319/09/04/2012Myles Porter and Dartanyon Crockett, Team USA judokas, on a day they’ll never forget.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2275467207/The US and China have a rivalry in women’s sitting volleyball dating back to the Beijing Games, 2008. In London, the two teams faced off in an early match, and USA’s Kari Miller and Katie Holloway talk about their preparation and describe the battle.http://video.pbs.org/video/2275467207/09/03/2012The US and China have been rivals in women's sitting volleyball since Beijing 2008.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2275277266/Goalball captain Jen Armbruster describes the team’s first game at the London Games against a tough Swedish team. Team USA won top honors in Beijing so they have “a target on their backs,” Jen says, but they’re still aiming for another gold medal: “the pretty one.”http://video.pbs.org/video/2275277266/09/02/2012In their first match in London, U.S. women’s goalball team faced a tough Swedish team.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2274922896/Paralympic experts and athletes explain how competitors are grouped by kinds and levels of disability. The goal: to “level the playing field” so athletes win because they train and compete the hardest, not because they are less disabled.http://video.pbs.org/video/2274922896/08/31/2012The goal: a level playing field so athletes win because they train and compete hardest.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2274813700/As the London Games begin, MEDAL QUEST’s Paralympic athletes share their last-minute hopes and fears. “Everyone is as fit as they’ve ever been, as motivated as they’ve ever been,“ says one Paralympian. “They are there to win!”http://video.pbs.org/video/2274813700/08/31/2012Team USA knows the competition is tough: “Everyone is as motivated as they’ve ever been.“nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2271656263/Shooter Eric Hollen remembers strength training so intense, he held the gun out even when doing his homework. After the strength training, he says, top-level shooting is “90% mental.” First he relaxes, then he shoots.http://video.pbs.org/video/2271656263/08/23/2012Shooter Eric Hollen competes against the world’s best, with and without disabilities.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2267888802/Dartanyon Crockett was a high school wrestler, just “a kid from Cleveland,” when the U.S. Paralympics Judo team came calling. Moving to Colorado and learning a new sport were hard, but he “fell in love with judo” and is ready for his first Paralympics in London.http://video.pbs.org/video/2267888802/08/15/2012In his first Paralympics, wrestler Dartanyon Crockett wants to “leave it all on the mat.”nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2265022099/Swimmer Jessica Long won 3 gold medals at the Athens Paralympics at age 12. Then she won 4 gold medals, a silver and a bronze in Beijing at age 16, setting 3 new world records – and she still felt she’d failed. In this frank video, Long explains the pressures she felt as a teenager, and how she had to fall in love with swimming again.http://video.pbs.org/video/2265022099/08/08/2012As a child, Jessica Long was first in the pool, last out. Result: 7 gold medals, so far.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2262708897/Growing up in a small town, according to runner Sabra Hawkes, she didn’t know people even had cerebral palsy. She was amazed when the Paralympics “discovered” her. Now she runs the 100m, 200m and 400m, and says "I just like to run so much."http://video.pbs.org/video/2262708897/08/01/2012Sprinter Sabra Hawkes says training is a joy: "I just like to run so much."nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2250869465/Paralympic archer Russell Wolfe says he “searched for years to find my way” after an accident ended his military career. Now he’s proud to represent the U.S. in international competition, and to counsel fellow veterans with disabilities to "start living again."http://video.pbs.org/video/2250869465/06/27/2012Veteran Russell Wolfe has a new way to represent the USA – in Paralympic archery.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2260286983/Ileana Rodriguez was a dancer in Cuba before a spinal cord injury. "All of us have challenges in our life," she says, as she remembers two teachers who made a difference: the high school coach who saw she was an athlete, and the Paralympics coach who pushed her to top-level competition.http://video.pbs.org/video/2260286983/07/25/2012Ileana Rodriguez remembers the coach who looked past her disability and saw an athlete.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2257891559/Equestrian Wendy Fryke describes her sport as a combination of floor gymnastics and ballet – on a horse.http://video.pbs.org/video/2257891559/07/18/2012Equestrian Wendy Fryke describes her sport.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2255099454/Garcia-Tolson has been swimming competitively since he was a young boy. He knows how hard athletes must work and talks about what makes it all worthwhile – his teammates and “getting one inch closer to a gold medal.”http://video.pbs.org/video/2255099454/07/11/2012Swimmer Rudy Garcia-Tolson looks at the Paralympics as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2250849147/Prosthetist Shane Ryley reveals the special care and technology needed to create high-performance artificial limbs for athletes - and to keep them tuned perfectly for best results. Ryley compares the impact that sports put on prosthetic limbs: "hundreds of times higher" than on biological legs.http://video.pbs.org/video/2250849147/06/27/2012Prosthetist Shane Ryley highlights the high-performance limbs that revolutionized sports.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2247620840/Chris Ahrens explains that he and his teammates committed to London 4 years ago – and it took some tough playing to get them there. Worldwide, only a handful of Soccer 7-a-Side teams can qualify for each Paralympics. The U.S. players missed out on Beijing in 2008 and were determined to make it in 2012.http://video.pbs.org/video/2247620840/06/19/2012It took an upset victory against a great team for Soccer-7-1-side to qualify.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2245392883/Jeff Fabry, bronze medalist in archery in 2004 and 2008, is looking to “make a statement” in London 2012. His steady, exact routines are like “a robot shooting the bow,” he says, as he sets up and shoots.http://video.pbs.org/video/2245392883/06/13/2012Archer Jeff Fabry shows the “constant routine” he uses to perfect his shots.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2242894916/Speed, emotion, and teamwork - the U.S. men’s sitting volleyball team recall the 2011 Parapan American championship match against Brazil.http://video.pbs.org/video/2242894916/06/06/2012The U.S. men’s sitting volleyball team recall the 2011 Parapan American championship matchnrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2239309102/Paralympians show off the high-tech wizardry that is part of today’s elite level competition, and describe the impact that new designs, new materials, and new technologies have had on their sports. “You would think that person was born with the chair attached to them” – that’s how one athlete describes the perfect fit for a sports wheelchair.http://video.pbs.org/video/2239309102/05/25/2012Paralympians show off the high-tech wizardry that is part of today’s elite competition.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2228789758/Paralympic sprinter Katy Sullivan remembers how unsure she was the first time she saw running legs. Then, “the world of sports opened to me.” She also describes that incredible moment before a race starts, when everything narrows down to a kind of "tunnel vision." Katy Sullivan makes it clear that Paralympians and Olympians are all one team – and for all of them, London 2012 is the goal.http://video.pbs.org/video/2228789758/05/03/2012Katy Sullivan didn’t go to the 2008 Games due to injuries. “Now, London is everything!"nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2238380848/The Warrior Games – a chance for injured service men and women to show their abilities and bring glory, again, to the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. It's also a chance for them to learn from the best: the many Paralympians who work as mentors and coaches, showing the veterans the techniques and skills they’ll need to compete, on the track and in life.http://video.pbs.org/video/2238380848/05/24/2012Paralympic athletes say it’s "humbling" to be mentors to veterans in the Warrior Games.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2237346928/Vision-impaired athlete Lex Gillette competes in four Paralympic sports, two in jumping and two in running. Lex talks about losing his vision as a young boy and says, “We had to figure out how we were going to move on from that.” In this video he shows MEDAL QUEST how he sets up for his tremendous flying jumps.http://video.pbs.org/video/2237346928/05/23/2012Meet Lex Gillette, Track and Field athlete in long jump, triple jump, 100m and 200m races.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2235477017/To some, goalball looks like a cross between bowling and soccer. The players know it as a tough, physical sport with lots of strategy and speed. In this MEDALQUEST video, members of the women’s goalball team talk about the skills that made them today’s defending Paralympic champions.http://video.pbs.org/video/2235477017/05/17/2012Goalball players explain skills and strategies that win medals for the US women's team.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2231796061/It takes years of training to be a Paralympian, with long hours and a true competitive drive. “We have no slouches,” says judo’s Myles Porter. As Brent Rasmussen from sitting volleyball says, “It doesn’t happen overnight -- you don’t just show up and play.” Athletes from a range of sports – sprinting, wheelchair tennis, sitting volleyball, discus, and more -agree: “It all comes down to heart."http://video.pbs.org/video/2231796061/05/10/2012Athletes from a range of sports agree: "It all comes down to heart."nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2225899954/Alana Nichols of the women’s wheelchair basketball team admits she likes going “really fast.” “I love feeling my heart beat,” she says. Her competitive spirit took over when she started playing wheelchair athletics – and now she’s the first woman to win gold in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics.http://video.pbs.org/video/2225899954/04/26/2012Alana Nichols is the first woman to win gold in both the Summer and Winter Paralympics.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2224208735/Wheelchair tennis player Mackenzie Soldan was surprised, at the Parapan American Games, by her own reaction: “It hit me, I’m playing for my country.” It was a tough start for Soldan, as she lost the first set. “I kind of choked a bit,” she admits. But she talks about what it took to claw her way back up – and the emotional finish to the game.http://video.pbs.org/video/2224208735/04/19/2012Mackenzie Soldan of wheelchair tennis on winning at the Parapan American Games.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2221738407/Paul Schulte, co-captain of the men’s wheelchair basketball team, talks about getting his shot to "click", and pushing to the limits. “Blowing past someone on the baseline,” “drop steps,” “picks” – the moves and strategies are the same for wheelchair basketball players. “And we shoot 3-pointers, too!”http://video.pbs.org/video/2221738407/04/12/2012Paul Schulte of wheelchair basketball answers the questions everyone asks about his sportnrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2216469064/Blake Leeper is one of the younger members of Team USA and began competing internationally less than three years ago. The level of competition was a revelation to him. Leeper talks about the intense level of competition in Paralympic sports and how he stacks up against two of the biggest names in racing, South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius and America’s Jerome Singleton.http://video.pbs.org/video/2216469064/03/29/2012Blake Leeper talks about the intense level of competition in Paralympic sports.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2213256674/Allison Jones tells the story of how she came to Paralympic cycling -- and how cool it is to hear crowds chant "USA!!" while she competes. A multi-sport competitor, Allison has competed in the last five Paralympics, Summer and Winter, winning medals in skiing as well as bicycling. Her focus now, every day: "the end game for London."http://video.pbs.org/video/2213256674/03/22/2012Allison Jones tells the story of how she came to Paralympic cycling.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2210075305/Judo fighter Myles Porter talks about his rival and nemesis -- and off-court friend – Brazil’s Antonio Tenorio da Silva, and about what drives him to compete. Antonio da Silva is the reigning Paralympic judo champion, the first to win gold medals at four consecutive Summer Games. Myles Porter knows how hard he’ll have to work to beat da Silva in London.http://video.pbs.org/video/2210075305/03/15/2012Myles Porter talks about his judo rival, and about what drives him to compete.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2209493128/Paralympic sprinter, long jump competitor and U.S. Army veteran Kortney Clemons talks about the IED that took his right leg and killed three of his friends in Iraq. Paralympicsports, he says, are just like the Olympics: "a very big deal."http://video.pbs.org/video/2209493128/03/14/2012U.S. Army veteran Kortney Clemons talks about the IED that took his right leg.nrNews & Public AffairsNews & Public AffairsSportsSportsSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2200446455/Paralympic cyclist Greta Neimanas takes us through her “full time job” – the tough training for the Games. It’s a roller-coaster of ups and downs, with days that are “grueling” and some that are "effortless."http://video.pbs.org/video/2200446455/02/22/2012Paralympic cyclist Greta Neimanas takes us through her tough training for the Games.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationSegmenthttp://video.pbs.org/video/2200402508/MEDAL QUEST kicks off with an introduction to “the best athletes in the world” – the elite athletes of the Paralympic Games. Competing in sports as different as wheelchair basketball, archery, judo, cycling, and more, these American athletes personify the grit, the strategy, and the skill it takes to go for the gold.http://video.pbs.org/video/2200402508/02/22/2012MEDAL QUEST kicks off with an introduction to the elite athletes of the Paralympic Games.nrCulture & SocietyCulture & SocietySports & RecreationSports & RecreationSegment