Corbin Beu and his faithful friend, Astro.

It's Been a Fun Ride

Phoenix, Ariz Resident Corbin Beu Talks with S'NS

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From nationally ranked high school triathlete, Paralympic sled hockey player, outdoorsman, and adaptive sports equipment designer, Corbin Beu is blazing a trail for all to follow. S`NS recently caught up with the 37-year-old Phoenician, away from the sounds of the weight room, the buzz of the track, and the roar of the cheering crowds for a one-on-one visit to see what’s in store next.

For those of you who call Phoenix home, there’s a good chance you have seen Corbin pushing down the basketball court for the Banner Phoenix Wheelchair Suns, tossing a javelin during a field event, or off-roading in the desert landscape of Arizona.

S`NS: Let’s talk about Corbin Beu. Can you tell the readers some of your background and about your injury and how that led to playing sports?

Beu: In 1992 I was involved in a motor-vehicle crash as a passenger after the driver fell to sleep at the wheel. The resulting accident left me a T-12 para, and I spent the next 76 days in the hospital trying to come to terms with what just happened.  

S`NS: Can you give us some background on your athletic career.

Beu: I have been an athlete since high school. I started playing golf but on a dare I tried out for track and field and within three meets rose to be the number one runner for my school. I seemed to have a natural ability to run. I continued competing and was soon nationally ranked. Had I been able to compete all four years, I’m sure I would have gone all the way. Then my injury happened.

It was in rehab that I first learned about SPORTS `N SPOKES. One of the therapists had an issue of S`NS and I started reading it. What impressed me most were the racers like Jim Knaub and David Baily, and I thought,  “Someday I’m going to be in that magazine.” The staff would smile and tried to bring me back down to reality, telling me, “You have to be the top in your sport to be in that magazine.” And now, I’ve been in S`NS seven different times for five different sports. That really got me racing again, traveling the world and playing sports again - doing what I always wanted to do. I’ve had my own wheelchair in the wheelchair review. It’s been a fun ride. It’s been a long ride. It seems like I’m starting over.

S`NS: Talk with us some about the 1998 Paralympics.

Corbin Beu during the 2010 Desert Challenge Games

Beu: It was a huge honor to represent the United States as a member of the U.S. Sled Hockey team and exciting to travel and experience another culture. I’m now training for the 2012 U.S Paralympic Team in the field events.

S`NS: So you got out of sports after the Paralympics for a while?

Beu: I never really got out of it. I got out of the heavy competing - of doing a whole bunch of sports at the same time and focused on hockey, although I never really stopped playing hockey. I’ve been on the national team since 1993 and eventually made the ’98 U.S. Paralympic Team. I haven’t made any other Paralympic team since but I have been instrumental in some rule changes in the sport and some equipment design and usage changes within the sport. I am currently the coach and captain of the Coyotes sled hockey team, I coach the field program, adaptive kayaking, take people out for adaptive hiking and camping through a program I call Zebra Sports. We find solutions for people to do whatever they want to do. I fit people for sleds, handcycles, and basketball chairs, whatever it takes to get people out there. I just have to figure out a way to get paid for it.

S`NS: Do you find coaching to be a better use of your skills and time right now?

Beu: I’m a coach/player. I am the team captain. It’s hard to be a coach/player because you can’t “see” what’s going on while your playing. I am talking to some former NHL players to see if they would be interested in coming on board as team coach. When I’m not on the ice, I am the field coach for Arizona Disabled Sports (AzDS).  The coaching duties soon shifted from coach to player and weightlifting competitor.

S`NS: Tell us about the recent 2010 Desert Challenge Games.

Beu: They needed more people for the weightlifting comp because at the time of registration, there was only one registered athlete who didn’t want to do the event alone, so I came on board to compete. I put the 200 lb weight up easy then struggled with 235 lb for the next two attempts. I came in second place for my weight class.

S`NS: In your busy schedule, do you volunteer your time or pay it forward for any local charity/person?

Beu: My life is about volunteering. The Arizona Spinal Cord Association (AzSCIA) and Phoenix Banner Wheelchair Suns sponsor a safe driving/driver program that I help out with. I also teach wheelchair skills classes 2-3 times a year at the Banner Good Sam Rehab Center. There, new wheelchair users are taught safe transfer procedures from floor to chair and chair to bed, for example. I also cover safely managing your environment, wheelchair maintenance, and then I bring in all of my sports equipment to try to get people excited and motivated in wheelchair sports.

S`NS: What are some of your more memorable moments from your hockey career?

Beu: There are a couple moments; I was the only person to score against Canada during the 2007 world cup tourney world championships. That was a proud moment for me. A funnier situation unfolded two seasons ago while on the Coyotes team. We were playing the under 20 Junior National Team in Sacramento, Calif. I went into the corners with one of the junior’s guys and laid a huge check on him near the Zamboni doors, that happened to not be latched correctly, sending him through the doors and off the ice.  Both Zamboni doors burst open, and as I looked back after the hit, the poor guy was crawling back onto the ice.  Just being on the ice for the first US Paralympic gold ever to be scored is memorable. Seeing guys on the national teams using sticks that were my design. With the help of a friend who does some auto CAD work, I was able to get in touch with some of the stick companies and got some different carbon-fiber sticks made. I have the first two sticks ever made in the world. It’s exciting to have worked with the companies. I have some prototype blades that I’m working on, I’ve made my own sled and have gotten some of the companies to provide me with the materials to experiment around in my garage.

S`NS: Tell me about some of your mentors in the sport, the coaches you’ve had and some of the training techniques that have helped improve your game.

Beu: Dave Conklin who played for 16 years on U.S.A. teams. He competed in international and national competitions including the 2002 and 2006 Paralympic Teams, getting Gold in 2002 and bronze in 2006. He was one of the guys who started the sport in the U.S. He was the kind of guy who would have me up to his house. He had all the equipment and would teach me the ropes. He had a very methodical way of playing.

S`NS: Do you have any training technique that sets you apart from the other athletes?

Beu: I used to do a lot of back exercises. Most of the guys seemed to always pay attention to the “look-good” muscles, where I tried to pay more attention to my shoulders and lats that helped give me more power on the ice.

S`NS: What tips would you give anyone interested in sports? What tips could you offer that help make you a better player?

Beu: Find a local program and try as many things as you can. Try to avoid buying equipment right away. I have seen a lot of young athletes who have bought so much stuff that then ends up sitting in a room or a garage unused because it wasn’t what they wanted to do, or it didn’t get fitted for them, and they get turned off.

For more information on the Arizona Spinal Cord Association, visit them on line at

http://www.azspinal.org/program.aspx

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