Robert Hammer Jr.
In The Salina Journal
Robert Hammer Jr. has a lofty goal he's set for himself but that's nothing different than the challenges he's been surmounting his whole life.
Hammer rolled into Salina at noon Saturday ahead of his good friend, Salinan Sheldon Lilak, about six hours after Hammer hopped aboard his handcycle at his home in Lyons to ride the 70-plus miles east.
Saturday's ride was a tuneup for Hammer, 51, who was born with cerebral palsy but is training to ride his handcycle next summer in the Bike Across Kansas event.
Lilak monitored his friend's progress, driving a support vehicle behind Hammer the whole route.
Hammer's condition affects his knees, legs and ankles. Yet he's found a calling, he says, inspiring others with disabilities by committing to athletic endeavors that test his physical limits.
"I don't know what my limits are," Hammer said, after having a shower and a meal after his arrival. "To me, I don't have any. That's what I'm trying to find out."
Hammer was born in Hutchinson, a premature infant weighing just 2 pounds and having less than a 50 percent chance of survival. As a freshman in high school he barely tipped the scales at 85 pounds.
"As if my disability wasn't bad enough to put a target on me, I wasn't even hardly big enough to defend myself," said Hammer, who today weighs 185 pounds and stands about 5 feet 6 inches tall.
"School was rough. Kids can be very ugly."
Hammer's palsy causes him to walk awkwardly, dragging one foot. His speech and intelligence are unaffected. During a stretch of eight years living in Salina, he studied electronics at what is now Salina Area Technical College. Hammer went on to earn a bachelor's degree in computer technology from Friends University in Wichita.
Today he's married and he's been working for three years for a Wichita-based business that converts paper government documents to digital media.
The business, Business Technology Career Opportunities, was founded by the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas and is affiliated with United Cerebral Palsy.
Hammer also is a member of the council for the Kansas Vocational Rehabilitation Commission. He states proudly how he has worked since the age of 16 to earn a living and has never filed for or collected a disability check.
The teasing from his peers that Hammer endured due to his condition growing up grew into subtle job hiring discrimination as an adult, he said.
"I've had phone interviews where I thought I had the job, and the guy will tell me, 'I just need to do a face-to-face with you,' and that's where the trouble comes in," he said. People wrongly judge his working ability on the appearance of his disability.
That's what drives him today to do what he does athletically, he said.
"It's a way of maybe showing (people) I can do what I set out to do," Hammer said.
Through a conversation with his chiropractor, Hammer decided three years ago to enter and compete in the Salty Dog Triathlon in Hutchinson. He trained for the event for about four months.
He used a borrowed racing wheelchair to complete the 3.1-mile running portion of the triathlon. He also swam 400 meters and biked 10.5 miles, finishing in 1:49:36.
Today he relishes the memories of that experience as he looks for new challenges, such as the Bike Across Kansas. After Saturday's ride, he said he knows he'll have to spend more of his training time practicing climbing hills. His handcycle has 27 speeds and is specially made for long-distance riding.
"I don't worry about the flats, but I've got to get the hill training done," he said. "That's the kind of stuff I need to find and work on."
7/11/2010
Salina Journal
By DAVID CLOUSTON
Reporter David Clouston can be reached at 822-1403 or by e-mail at
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http://www.saljournal.com/news/Story/CP-bicycle-rider-071010
