| iWindsurf_com Provides real-time wind information to over 160 windsurfing sites across the US and Canada. |
| Mirror_For_The_Wind Russian windsurfing with English description of pictures. |
| Mytrims_com Global windsurfing community with equipment directory. |
| Sims_Windsurfing Reviews of surfing destinations, news and results of the PWA Windsurfing Tour, reviews of windsurfing videos, and pictures of Sims and his friends windsurfing. |
| Speed_Sailing Dedicated to the development of high speed sailing craft, boats and windsurfing boards and the annual running of Weymouth Speed Week at Portland Harbour. |
| Surf_Widow_\'s_Web Windsurfing cartoons previously seen in the UK's Boards windsurfing magazine. |
| Swell_Axis Buy and sell windsurfing gear, free classified ads, channels, and membership. |
| Ten_Step_Guide_to_Windsurfing Written for beginning windsurfers by the Cal Sailing Club, Berkeley, CA. |
| WaterTrader__Windsurfing Includes tips and basic instructions for technique and form. |
| Windfixes Sail repair for windsurfers and custom windsurfing accessories. |
| WindGURU Weather forecasts for many windsurfing destinations. |
| WindsMpeg A windsurfing video site with videos and video clips. |
| Windsurfing_Near_Kitesurfers Safety issues for windsurfers and bystanders near kitesurfers. |
| Windsurfing_ws_online_guide Based on the first boards guide ever published, listing more than 1450 boards. News, events, directory, and message boards. |
| Creyda Info about amateur tennis tournaments, events and tennis ranking for amateur players |
| Harrow_Baptist_Tennis_Club Official site of a club near the town center in Harrow. Site contains news items, a newsletter, scores, and related links. |
| International_Tennis_Number_On_Court_Assessment A system for players to track and chart their own development and improvement as well as compare their score to other players from around the world. |
| MyTenniscenter_com Player registration service to match user with the right playing partners. |
| Spring_Tennis_league Find tennis players in a tennis league based in your city, within your level, age and experience. |
| 1stserve Tennis Dating: A tennis players only dating service, where tennis players will find their match game with their love match. |
| Tennis_Ambassadors_Christian_Ministry Linking players in over 75 nations |
| Tennis_For_Everyone Free listing service that set up tennis matches amongst amateur players. |
| The_Tennis_Information_System Extensive collection of statistics and data relating to various amateur tournaments, rankings, and ratings. |
| Tennis_League A semi competitive league with competitions held throughout the United States. Uses the USTA NTRP ratings to match players. |
| Tennis_Mates A free tennis player matching service designed to match tennis players of all skill levels and all locations throughout the world. |
| Tennis_Thing Video tips, drills, lessons, motion analysis, technical forums, journals and photo galleries. Interact with tennis coaches in real-time. |
| Tennis_Welcome_Centers A directory of facilities screened by the Tennis Industry Association that provide programs targeted towards new players. User can search for local parks and clubs providing lessons by zip code. |
| TennisEngine_com_-_Online_Ladder_System Computerized tennis ladder system that offers three ranking methods: quality based ranking system ideal for closed leagues, a more casual 20 point league system, and a traditional tiered ladder. |
| TennisRank An automated system of tennis ladders that allows recreational players to set up match via the Internet. |
| Word_Team_Tennis_Recreation_Program A recreational league founded by Billie Jean King in 1974. Provides signup information, news, and rules. |
| Lincoln_Southeast_Knights_Volleyball Rosters, schedules, results, contacts and a photo gallery for all teams representing this Nebraska high school. |
| Joe\'s_Tennis_String_Forum Experiences with tennis strings and racquet stringing. Includes ratings of different brands, tips on stringing, and a price table for racquet stringing mail-order services in the USA. |
| Lawn_Tennis_Magazine_-_Message_Board A forum that discusses professional players, tournaments, and other tennis related topics. Includes a restricted area for subscribers to the magazine. |
| MensTennisForums_com Large range of men's tennis message boards with a focus on the professional tour throughout the world. |
| Talk_About_Tennis A friendy forum that discusses tennis news and tournament predictions. |
| Tennis_Forum A place to discuess a variety of tennis topics. |
| TennisGods Forum to discuss racquets, strings, technique, professional players, and injuries. |
| World_of_Tennis Discusses about play on the WTA and ATP Tour. |
| Worldwide_Tennis_Forum Disscuss general tennis issues, players, and upcoming tournaments. |
| European_Footvolley_Federation_(EFVF) The official site of the federation which represents France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. News, countries, league information, downloads, and contacts. |
Aug 24,2001
Print story
Email storyby Laura KaminkerThe New York City Marathon is heralded as a "people’s race," an event for the masses, open to all. But for many years, wheelchair athletes have been prevented from participating in the race.This year, for the first time, the New York City Marathon will include an official competitive wheelchair division. With this change, New York becomes the last city in the country to include wheelchair racing in its marathon. The new wheelchair division marks the conclusion of a decades-long struggle for inclusion and may (or may not) be the end of a history of discrimination against wheelchair racers. Here is the strange and fascinating story of how the wheelchair division was achieved.ResistanceWheelchair racers have been competing unofficially in the New York City Marathon for more than 20 years. Bob Hall, a pioneer road racer and sports-chair designer, was the first. In 1977, despite vigorous opposition from the New York City Road Runners Club, which organizes and sponsors the race, Hall won a court injunction to enter the New York City Marathon. The following year, Marty Ball, another racer, decided to give Hall some competition. Thinking that race officials would recognize his name from his previous attempts to gain official entry, Ball registered under the alias "Guillermo Jerez.""It was very scary," Ball recalled. "I will never forget being at that starting line, hearing voices from the crowd: ‘No wheelchairs in this race!’ ‘Wheelchair, you don’t belong here!’ I fully believed someone might cause an incident just to prove themselves right." Despite the unfriendly welcome – and two flat tires during the race – Ball finished the course and enjoyed the experience. In subsequent years, he, Hall, and other wheelers made their way into the field by calling the New York City mayor’s office, which would then instruct the Road Runners Club to issue them numbers. But, though individual racers found ways to compete in the marathon, no precedent for their inclusion was ever recognized.The chief obstacle standing in the way of wheelchair athletes who wished to compete in the race was the New York City Marathon's long-time director, Fred Lebow. Lebow, who died in 1994, is credited with the marathon's fame and success. It was his idea to expand the race into all five boroughs (it was previously run in and around Central Park) and to open it to novices, instead of using qualifying standards. The race flourished under his direction and over the years he became a legitimate New York celebrity.When people learned he had terminal brain cancer, he was widely regarded as a saintly figure in and around the city. Among elite wheelchair competitors, however, he was far less popular. Although Lebow had made his reputation by expanding popular access to and participation in the NYC Marathon, he was, for many years, steadfastly opposed to the inclusion of wheelchair racers in the event.In a bitter and ongoing battle, Lebow, the popular public figure, was pitted against Hall, an unknown but persistent challenger. Both Hall and Ball vividly recall a closed-door meeting with Lebow, other Road Runners officials, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the New York State Division of Human Rights. "The press was asked to leave the room," says Ball, "and then we saw who we were dealing with. Fred made comments like, ‘I’m not going to turn this race into a freak show’ and ‘I’ll be in hell before wheelchairs are part of this race’." Next page: Safety first?Respond: sjeditor@sportsjones.comSign up for free SportsJones newslettersSportsJones home page 
