Amelia Opean, center, is surrounded by friends who have helped her prepare for the La Jolla Rough Water Swim, during a recent training session.
Photo by: Courtesy
44-year-old woman has received plenty of support from community of swimmers
Nearly 30 years ago, Amelia Opean was involved in a car accident that paralyzed her from her underarms down. In a little more than three weeks, she will compete for the first time in the La Jolla Rough Water Swim.
In the time between, she has completed an amazing journey that has taken her from a life that seemed overwhelming with challenges to one that is filled with the fulfillment of athletic challenges every day.
"I never even envisioned myself as a swimmer," Opean, a La Jolla resident, said. "Even just doing physical therapy was so challenging that I couldn't have even pictured going out through the surf and swimming in the ocean. But the local beach community said, 'You can do this,' and they've been right there with me."
Opean, now 44, was just 15 when she was paralyzed, and was told she would never walk again. Through intense physical therapy, she eventually learned to walk on forearm crutches, and she enrolled at UCSD in 1978. She went to work after graduation, and after a number of years found that her sedentary lifestyle was taking a toll and that everyday tasks were becoming difficult.
She dedicated herself to improving her fitness level, working out regularly at a gym and swimming occasionally in a pool. Two years ago, while walking at La Jolla Shores, she met some local swimmers and surfers who she said "changed my life."
She befriended a woman named Lorraine Schmalenberger, who spearheaded a group effort to assist Opean in becoming active in the water. It started with paddling out on a surfboard, then progressed to paddling in a two-person kayak, and last summer, Opean went out for her first ocean swim.
"She's a completely independent woman," Schmalenberger said, adding that Opean also rides horses and skis. "She's really proud of that, and so am I. We're not doing this swim to prove anything to the disabled community - she's doing it to prove to herself that she can do it, just like anybody else."
Earlier this month, Opean tested herself in a one-mile swim (the distance of the La Jolla Rough Water Swim), with Schmalenberger by her side, and beat her goal of 45 minutes by nearly three minutes. She said she is looking forward to the challenge of the competitive event, which will be held Sept. 7 and starts and ends at La Jolla Cove.
"I swam for my life to beat that 45-minute goal, and it made me feel like I was back in high school, before the accident, when I was an athlete," Opean said. "I'm amazed at how fun it really is. I never pictured that I could be an athlete like this again."
Gregory Ball covers sports for La Jolla Light. He can be reached at ballgregory@yahoo.com.
FAST FACTS
78th La Jolla Rough Water Swim
What: 1-mile competitive ocean swim; there is also a junior event (250 yards) and a Gatorman event (3 miles)
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