My efforts to anticipate and avoid problems failed during a Paralympic swim meet in Canada. I met Beth at the Montreal airport. She wasn’t a fan of flying but that didn’t stop her from getting on planes. Beth surprised people by traveling alone with a duffel bag on her lap and a big Harvard Swimming pack on the back of her chair.
I had no rental car reservation. The subway had been recommended, and it worked—if you could climb flights of steps. We decided on taxis instead. On the last morning, we rode through a heavy March snowfall to the swim meet. One of Beth’s big wheels flattened during prelims, a first in seven years of air-filled tires. After her injury, I worried about many things, but a flat tire had been completely off my radar. Overly optimistic, we hoped a new inner tube in an odd size could be easily found at a local bike shop. On a Sunday. During a snowstorm. I left to save the day while Beth rested in our hotel room. I planned to pick her up with an inflated wheel in my hand before the last finals session. I hailed a taxi carrying the flat wheel and a list of bike shops; thankfully, Montreal had several. A friendly driver headed for the nearest one while I called others. Phone recordings said some were open though no one answered. Beth called me in a panic when I left the third bike shop with the flat tire. She learned it was a big deal to miss a finals race at a championship meet, with paperwork required in advance. Time ticked away, and drivers acted as though they’d never seen snow before. Plows blocked roads and piled snow on parked cars. Miraculously, the fourth bike shop had the right size inner tube. By the time they fixed the wheel, and I arrived back to the hotel, finals had already begun. The taxi driver waited while I ran up to our room with the wheel and flew back down with Beth who wore her swimsuit under sweats. Peggy called us from the pool. We might make it in time for her first race. A traffic jam tested our patience and dampened the beauty of the white wonderland. Finally, I paid the driver way too much, and we rushed to the pool deck where Peggy waved frantically. Right next to a starting block, Peggy and I stripped Beth’s coat and sweats off in seconds and literally dropped her in the lane. Another quick moment, and the race began. Her hastily donned goggles came off and floated in the water behind her. We laughed about it later, but it wasn’t funny at the time. ;-) In hindsight, we should’ve borrowed a wheelchair from another swimmer for Beth to get to finals with Peggy. Friends on the team with prosthetic legs sometimes traveled with wheelchairs. I bought a set of foam-filled tires the next day--the only kind she’s used since!
8 Comments
12/13/2018 04:55:45 pm
Luck was truly on your side! My fam and I learned our listen about tube tires when one popped from under me getting out of the van when I was going to a homecoming bonfire. Needless to say, I didn't make it.
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12/14/2018 07:33:56 pm
Yes, I agree, Jason! What were the odds of finding an odd sized inner tube at a bike shop on a Sunday? Luck really was on our side!
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Laura Krietemeyer
12/14/2018 09:28:58 am
I use air filled tires. After my first flat, I carry a tube with me. Always have one in my van, and if I'm flying one in my luggage. Bike shops are the best. My tire shredded when I was traveling in Yellowstone, and a bike shop found the tire to make it work. They were so proud of themselves.
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12/14/2018 07:48:16 pm
Thanks for commenting, Laura! I wish I had thought to carry a spare inner tube. And yes, we’ve found some very helpful people at different bike shops, too, and they’ve also helped with other wheelchair repairs.
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12/14/2018 07:52:56 pm
Thanks, Val. It was a crazy day, and we were really lucky that my dash around Montreal was successful!
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"My efforts to anticipate and avoid problems failed during a Paralympic swim meet in Canada."
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12/20/2018 08:50:11 am
Thanks, Amy! I think it also made me a contender for the frazzled mom award. ;-) Happy holidays to you as well!
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