Boston Herald: World-class competitors ...

Boston Herald; Boston, Mass.; May 21, 2000; Michael O'Connor;

World-class competitors - Amputees prove they are up for the challenge

Abstract:

A lot of teens return from spring vacations with stories to tell. However, few can match Chris Komejko's tales.

The Scituate 15-year-old is back from Russia, where he and a team composed mainly of fellow Bay State hockey players took on a team of Red Army veterans during the recent World Hockey Championships in St. Petersburg.

"It was great, just great. I wasn't nervous or anything, I was excited," said Komejko, who lost his lower right leg to illness at age 2, but has been playing hockey since he was 5. "I just loved playing in front of that crowd. It was fun."

Full Text:

A lot of teens return from spring vacations with stories to tell. However, few can match Chris Komejko's tales.The Scituate 15-year-old is back from Russia, where he and a team composed mainly of fellow Bay State hockey players took on a team of Red Army veterans during the recent World Hockey Championships in St. Petersburg. The Russians are all lower-leg-amputees. So are Komejko and his teammates - the USA All-Stars. "It was great, just great. I wasn't nervous or anything, I was excited," said Komejko, who lost his lower right leg to illness at age 2, but has been playing hockey since he was 5. "I just loved playing in front of that crowd. It was fun." Despite their disabilities, the U.S. and Russian teams were not timid about making contact. "We were checking left and right," said Komejko. "One of our guys gave a bump and one of their guys lost a tooth." Bumps and bruises on the ice, of course, pale in comparison to the loss of a limb, to disease, accident - or war. The Russian players all saw combat in Afghanistan, and all are landmine survivors. Among the Americans, former Marine David Nowak was injured by friendly fire during stateside training exercises for the Desert Storm campaign. Robert "Rusty" Weatherhead of Hopkinton is a Vietnam vet who also had part of his leg taken by a mine. Weatherhead, 52, who works for the Veterans Administration, said playing in Russia "was both fun and challenging. There were a lot of good guys. The camaraderie was something. We met a lot of wonderful people." As the sole U.S. player who's a landmine survivor, "we related pretty well," Weatherhead said of his Russian foes. Weatherhead has been an active athlete since his injury, running, water-skiing, hunting and fishing. "And I played hockey as a kid, but it never occured to be to get involved with this kind of program," he said. "It's been a great experience to be on this team." Echoing young Komejko's comments, Weatherhead described the contest (which, perhaps fittingly ended in a 0-0 tie) as "full-check hockey, clean and hard-hitting. And it was very exciting to play before the world championship crowd. We got a standing ovation."

The players are not the only ones deserving of praise. The entire Russian team and most of Team USA utilized a state-of-the-art prosthesis, the Free-Flow foot/ankle, developed by Dr. Mark Pitkin of New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabiliation Center in Stoughton. Working with the hospital's Dr. David Crandell and prosthetist Greig Martino, Pitkin, a Russian native with personal and professional ties to St. Petersburg, has been able to fit amputee athletes with a foot ideally designed for a skating motion.

"It was really, really good hockey and a successful event all around," said Pitkin, who accompanied the team.

The All Stars are coached by Mike Brito, who has worked with disabled athletes for four years, including a sled- skate team known as the Boston Blades. Martino is the assistant coach.

"The best feeling in the world is working with people who need this kind of help and have this kind of spirit," said Martino, who not only puts the players through their drills, but makes sure their prosthetic feet are properly fitted and operational.

Martino gets high marks from the players, especially Komejko. "Greig is an excellent guy. I love him," said Komejko. "I'm never going to go to anyone else." For now, the team is on hiatus, waiting to get back into competition this fall. "After all the planning and preparation and practices," Dr. Crandell said with a laugh, "we had just barely finished the game, and everyone was asking, `What's next?' "

Growing strong

The amputee hockey team out of Sinai Hospital is looking for more competition. Player Rusty Weatherhead says that an international league may in the offing, featuring hockey teams from the U.S. and Russia, as well as Canada and Sweden. Closer to home, more local/regional players are being sought. For more information, call (781) 297-1458. [Illustration]

Caption: THEY GOT GAME: Chris Komejko, a member of the U.S. All- Stars amputee hockey team, skates with the puck at a recent practice. At far left, David Nowak, with his prosthetic skating leg at his side, takes a break from practice. Staff photos by Tara Bricking

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