Why Not

On August 2^nd I  re-launched  my business www.Wheelingchef.com, with the purpose of helping me offset  the $190 entry fee for the first fencing event of the 2010-2011. My goal was to sell 10 dozen  shortbreads at $5 a dozen, raising $50 towards the cause.  I posted a notice on my facebook page and announced that I was raising money selling to support my fencing endeavor by selling my shortbread cookies. A few friends made announcements on their own facebook pages and I sold a couple dozen. A few weeks after the initial post I was contacted by a friend of a friend who wanted to blog about me, I said sure, although honestly I really did not see what the big deal was or is. I gave the interview and it was posted. A local radio personality saw the blog and shared it with his listeners and now he wants to interview me for a podcast. As a result of my crazy idea and the out pouring of support I had no problem paying the entire entry fee for the North American Cup –A in Cincinnati Ohio. I cannot express how grateful I am for what has happened although I still don’t understand how it has.

Throughout this endeavor I have been asked “why cookies?”  The simple answer is “why not?” I have always enjoyed cooking so much so that I attended culinary school, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Culinary management. Cookies were not covered in the curriculum, but I figured it would be worth a shot after all whats the worst that could happen? It doesn’t work ? Well it seems to be working and I am still in a shock. Thank you all for all your support. As a thank you to my readers I’m offering you the $5 a dozen rate. Just email me at Info@wheelingchef.com and mention “why cookies” in your email.

And while we are on the subject of “why not” thanks to a certain local pub I have created Guinness Shortbreads, Maple bacon shortbreads, and Car Bomb short breads. Try them today!

Less then a month to go

I was going to continue my life story this week, but then I looked at the calender and realized that my next tournament is less then a month away. Its hard to believe that this whole adventure started in February. I had heard of fencing and done a little medieval style fencing, but i never thought that  I would be participating in the sport. Now here I am getting ready for another tournament, because of fencing Ive started my business back up and its doing OK . Last nights practice was intense but things are starting to click.  Fencing has not been easy, in fact sometimes its been down right painful.There are days when all the drills the workouts seem endless and pointless, but thanks to my friends I get that extra push to keep going.
Last week I  had a bit of a setback when I found out that the monthly dues for my fencing gym have gone up to $80 a month, so I'm still trying to work out how that is going to work, can you say time to hawk some more shortbreads, lots of them. No new epee for Rick this month, like training though i'll just keep plugging away, and with all your support i know i can manage, again thank you all !

Just a "normal guy" part 1

Wow have I had a busy two weeks, orders are coming in a good pace and Cincinnati is coming up in a little over a month. With the number of orders coming in and the time spent training I have found myself with a lot of time to think. Thinking about how I got to this point. Where the drive comes from, looking at the mistakes I’ve made and learning from them. Most of you know me as the guy who sells cookies to support his fencing habit, with the dream of someday making the United States Paralympic team. What you don’t know is the story of the man behind the dream.

I grew up in Hilliard Ohio, a suburb of Columbus living in a decidedly middle-class household. Both my father and mother worked, so for the most part you could say I had a pretty normal childhood, normal except for a few notable exceptions.

My parents wanted me to be as prepared for live in the “able bodied” world as I could be, to that end I was enrolled at the local Easter Seals Rehabilitation center, Easter Seals provides disabled children with many services including Physical and Occupational therapy and assistance with the acquisition of wheelchairs, crutches and other items like that. Easter Seals is a nonprofit organization that receives its funding from private donations, much of this received during its yearly telethon.  In 1982 I was chosen to become the Easter Seals poster child. As poster child you are the public face, the cute kid who meets and greets the people and asks them to do what they can to help. I met with the movers and shakers of the area, and did what I could to help those who helped me.

Following my time at the Easter Seals center it was time to enter school, Catholic School at that! I attended catholic school until 3^rd grade when I was enrolled in public school. Elementary School was always hard for me, not academically but socially, I had friends and I did what I could to fit in, I was on a Tee-Ball team, and tried to be Mr. Normal.  It was during this time I started swimming competitively, and then participated in wheelchair road racing. I wanted to be like my other friends. A jock

This drive stuck with me into middle school and high school.  Many of my friends were on the football team so I decided I wanted to be a part of the action, I approached the coach of the football team and asked to have some part, of course I was allowed to be water boy. So there I was on the sidelines in my over sized football jersey, but I was part of the team. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed hanging out with my friends, and being part of something but it never felt quite satisfying. Football season came and went and wrestling started, and so I joined that, this time I was not allowed to sit on the sidelines. My Middle wrestling coach decided that I would be more than a water boy, I would wrestle!

My wrestling career spanned 8^th grade until my junior year in high school I managed to not win a single match during that entire span, but I kept trying. My wrestling career ended in my junior year   when I was injured during a match, and before you ask I was already disabled before the incident. Yeah I know I am nuts, but all I wanted was to be a normal kid.

There is a lot more after all there are many years still to cover and other things that were going on besides sports, a lot more trust me. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings stay tuned for more insight into what   makes me tick.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery

Recently I was told you can never truly know the impact of your story until you share it. A friend of mine who is 10 times the writer I am heard about my story and decided to interview me for her blog. I've never really thought that my story was that extraordinary, honestly I am just a guy who enjoys wheelchair fencing and uses his baking abilities to fund his adventure. The experience and the response I got from this blog

http://chud.com/articles/blogs/2830/GASH-WEDNESDAY-50-Swords-and-Cookies.html

got me thinking, maybe I should tell my story. Thanks Andrea for the inspiration to get off my ass and share my story with others.

You will see similarities between this first blog and her story, for that I do not apologize both stories after all are about my life.



Earlier this year I found the sport of wheelchair fencing, a sport that gives me a chance test myself in combat against another person, and helps me to stay in shape. Yes wheelchair fencing exists and it’s a blast. Sure I could have chosen to compete in one of the sports out there but none appealed to me the way wheelchair fencing did or does.

In case you haven’t guessed by now I am in wheelchair I have been all my life, well that’s not true I do get out of it on occasion, I just use the chair to get around faster, and look cool doing it.

Seriously I have cerebral palsy and have had it since birth, but it’s not anything I would change if I could, and yes I have been asked on more than one occasion if I were given the chance would I want to be cured? Cured I didn’t know I was sick and needed to be cured. People have the misconception that I’m miserable and sad that because I’m in a wheelchair, do I have bad days? Hell yes I have bad days don’t you? Life is what it is. The quality of your life depends on you plain and simple. I could sit in the corner of a dark room and cry and hate my life each day asking "Why me" and I have had those days but eventually I pull myself up and do the only thing any of us can do and that is live my life. The chair has not stopped or limited me, In fact its opened doors for me, I have worked in Alaska, attended culinary school, and probably more that I don't acknowledge the latest is wheelchair fencing. I have jumped into the sport with both feet err wheels!



While I have a BS in Hospitality Management and a wealth of other skills I have yet to find a job and since fencing can be rather pricey I decided to start my own business selling handcrafted shortbread cookies on Wheeling Chef

So there it is the start of my story, a story that some say is inspirational, some could care less and some claim it’s a rip off of others. In the end it is my story, the story of my frustrations, my laughs, my triumphs and my tragedies; it’s the story of one life mine. For those that wish to follow me I don’t know what you'll get, some days it could be a funny story of the church group coming up to me and asking if they can pray to heal me. Some days you'll read about how much fencing sucks when my arms and shoulders are killing me. Other times it will just be a dissertation on the merits of the designated hitter rule in baseball. I don’t know where it will go but isn’t that the fun part? My many thanks again to my friends who have finally convinced me that my story is worth telling.