Rowing Is Her Passion

Now a six-time Guinness World Record holder in rowing, Angela Madsen, an L2 para, knew noth­ing about rowing when growing up in Fairborn, Ohio. But she did love swimming and diving. “I’ve been an athlete all my life,” she says. “I was 6 feet tall by the time I reached sixth grade.”

After high school she joined the Marines and was stationed in California. “I took up surfing, which kept me from moving back to Ohio.” She also joined the Women’s All Marine Corps bas­ketball team, but she was injured during a game.

“I fell forward and someone landed on my back,” says Madsen, now 55. “The accident ended my military career, but I could walk.” Thirteen years later, her back needed surgery, but a mistake occurred. “The wrong disc was removed and my spinal cord was compromised in the surgery.”

Madsen credits adapted sports for her ability to move on. “I was two years post-op before I found out about adaptive sports,” she says. She started with wheelchair basketball and then discovered rowing, winning gold in the Rowing National Championships 2000 through 2008. In 2008, she made her Paralympic debut, plac­ing seventh in Rowing. She also returned to the Paralympics in 2012, winning gold in Shot Put.

Along the way, Madsen dis­covered ocean rowing. She’s crossed several oceans nonstop without a support boat, including the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean — and she circumnavi­gated Britain. She also plans to attempt a Pacific Ocean cross­ing in 2017, something that has eluded her thus far.

Madsen’s latest passions, coaching adapted rowing and running her two foundations — Row of Life and California Adapted Rowing Programs — are keeping her busy at the moment. She wants to promote rowing’s versatility, she says: “It is the most all-inclusive sport there is. People can participate at any level.”

Bruise Mystery Marker

“Every superhero needs a suit.” This is the mindset behind Bruise, a bruise detection suit created by engineering students at the Royal College of Art in London.

This unprecedented suit is made for ath­letes with spinal cord injuries who are unable to feel when they’ve hurt themselves below their level of injury. Everything from fractures to bruises can go undetected, but this suit helps these athletes know exactly where they’re injured.

Bruise works by being a tight, flexible top and pant. In all of the high-risk areas of the body, disposable made-to-fit film inserts are located, which turn red when pressure is applied. The color density varies according to the pressure level applied.

These inserts are specifically located on the thorax, pelvis, femur, knees, fibulas and tibias on both legs. And with the suit revealing color right away, it may finally be possible for para­lyzed athletes to get help sooner rather than later.

The Alt Guide to Living with SCI

Finally, a fun and humorous guide to life after SCI is available to newbies and those looking for a refresher. Called The Very Alternative Guide To Spinal Cord Injury, this guide shares first-hand experience, “questionable humor” and time-saving pictures.