...FLCC's Dan Rizzieri to compete for U.S. Paralympic team in New Zealand.Zoom Photos. Vasiliy Baziuk.Finger Lakes Community College student Dan Rizzieri 19, of Cohocton is leaves for Australia on the 6th of January to compete in the track and field world championships.

By Dan Goldman, staff writer
Messenger Post
Posted Jan 13, 2011 @ 03:31 PM


MPNnow.com — Until yesterday, Finger Lakes Community College student Dan Rizzieri had never traveled outside the country. The 19-year-old Cohocton resident learned that would change at the beginning of the fall semester.

Rizzieri received a call from Cathy Sellers, the associate director of high performance for the U.S. Paralympics track and field team, who told him he made Team USA for the International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.

“I was pretty excited,” Rizzieri said. “I was kind of more in shock. I knew I’d be under consideration, but I wasn’t sure if my times were good enough for (New Zealand), but I guess they were.”

Rizzieri departed on Thursday, although he doesn’t compete until Jan. 24. Before the games, Team USA will train in ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia, the site of the 2000 Olympics.

Dan, the son of Rich and Pam Rizzieri, was born with a condition called fibular hemimelia, meaning a bone is missing in his lower legs. Rizzieri’s legs end just below his knees, but he has used prosthetics since he was 13 months old. Thanks to special prosthetics called Cheetah Blades, Rizzieri can participate in sports.

Rizzieri competed on FLCC’s track and field team last spring and qualified for the Junior College Nationals in Columbia, Maryland. In the triple jump, he recorded a school record and personal best of 44 feet, 8 inches, which was good enough for seventh in the nation.

“The week before that my best was 42 something, so I increased it by another two feet,” Rizzieri said. “It was just amazing.”

In June, Rizzieri attended the paralympic nationals in Miramar, Fla., where he won the triple jump, took third in the 400-meter dash and performed well enough in the long jump to qualify for the national team.

Since getting the invitation, Rizzieri has attended a pair of team training camps at the Chula Vista Olympic Training Center in California. He also trains with his brother Matt and Dan Fichter at Wanna Get Fast in Pittsford.

Sellers first met Rizzieri two years ago at the Endeavor Games in Oklahoma. She was impressed how Rizzieri wasn’t afraid to try new things.

“A double below the knee amputee doesn’t typically triple jump, it takes a lot of coordination to do that and he’s got it,” Sellers said. “He can do everything a traditional athlete can do. He’s an amazing young man, I have a lot respect for Daniel.”

Rizzieri has attended the Penn Relays, but he knows Christchurch will be the biggest event he’s attended by far. He is most excited about seeing how he compares to the world’s best paralympic athletes.

The U.S. team includes 51 men and women from across the country. They range from a 15-year-old girl from Memphis, Tenn. to a 53-year-old woman who was a polio victim.

Rizzieri is scheduled to compete in the long jump, the 400-meter dash and he is an alternate for the 4x100 relay team. The International Paralympic Committee won’t allow him to compete in the triple jump though.

“I don’t know why, it’s a battle I’ve been having with them on following one of their rules,” Sellers said. “It’s an unfortunate situation because he’s ranked fourth in the world.”

At World’s, athletes will have an opportunity to earn a spot for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

“I think in 2012 he could be in the hunt,” Sellers said. “I think 2016 will be when he comes into his prime. The purpose of this competition is to get the experience on a world stage so when we go to London he knows what it’s about.”

Rizzieri’s parents and brother are all flying to New Zealand to see him compete.

Qualifying for New Zealand was but the first of many goals that Rizzieri aspires to reach.

“Hopefully,” he said, “I’ll come back with a few medals.”

Watch online
You can watch Dan Rizzieri compete live online at www.paralympicsport.tv. He competes in the long jump on Jan. 24 and the 400-meter dash on Jan. 29.