Vista man prepares for return to Kilimanjaro

By: Alexandra DeLuca - For the North County Times | Sunday, October 15, 2006 8:46 PM PDT ∞

VISTA ---- So close, but yet so far. Sixteen years ago, Vista resident Gary Stubblefield was one of 12 developmentally disabled athletes who attempted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Five of them made it to the top, but Stubblefield and six other Special Olympians came within a few hundred feet of the summit when a sudden snowstorm forced them to turn back.

Since word came last month that a nonprofit sports organization was giving the seven athletes a second chance to reach the summit of Africa's highest peak, Stubblefield has been walking on air ---- and starting to train intensely for the January climb.

"I feel like I have a better chance this time," the 43-year-old Stubblefield said. "I'm going to train twice as hard (as last time). I want to do everything I can to get there."

Stubblefield was a young man in 1990 when the first climb made headlines and became the basis of an Emmy-winning documentary. Oceanside resident Steve Hickey was also on the trek, and has been invited to participate in the return trip, but he could not be reached for comment last week.

Though Stubblefield didn't reach the summit, he took the setback in stride.

"I wasn't disappointed," he said recently. "I got farther than most people have. It was just fun being there. Being able to enjoy that experience is something in itself."

The latest climb is being sponsored by World T.E.A.M. Sports, a nonprofit organization whose founder, Jim Benson, also sponsored the original climb. The mission of the organization, whose acronym stands for "The Exceptional Athlete Matters," is to use the platform of sports to help integrate disabled and able communities.

ÝLast month, World T.E.A.M. Sports officials surprised Stubblefield and the other six Special Olympians with the news of the climb at a reunion of the original group.

"When I found out we were going back, I couldn't believe it," said Stubblefield. "It took a while to sink in."

ÝStubblefield and the rest of the athletes, all of whom are from California, will leave on Jan. 20 and spend eight days and seven nights on Mt. Kilimanjaro. At 19,453 ft. above sea level, Kilimanjaro is the world's highest free-standing mountain.

The seven Special Olympians will be joined by 12 coaches, some of whom accompanied them on the first climb, as well as eight members of a film crew led by Mark Fowler, who will be chronicling the athletes' journey for a documentary. In 1990, Fowler filmed the first climb and turned it into a documentary called "Let Me Be Brave," which aired on CBS.

"We're really excited about this," said Chris Carrigg, executive director of World T.E.A.M. Sports. "The idea behind this climb is to give the group the opportunity to get to the top. We always wanted to go back and give the athletes who had trained and gotten so close last time a chance to go back. We're in a position now to do that."

Jeff Messner, a volunteer with World T.E.A.M. Sports, is coordinating the climb along with his wife, Kabao. He said the Special Olympians who will participate range in age from their late 30s to mid 40s.

"I think for their age they're all in terrific shape," said Messner, adding that the athletes have already begun training.

Stubblefield has been jogging and working out in the gym at DJO Inc, where he is employed. Over the past few years, he has also been active in the Special Olympics, competing in softball, bowling and basketball.

In fact, Stubblefield was the captain of the Southern California team, made up entirely of North County athletes, which finished in second place in the men's basketball tournament at the Special Olympics National Games in Iowa in July.

"I thought that was the highlight of my year until I heard about this," Stubblefield said.

Stubblefield said when he faces Mt. Kilimanjaro again, he is determined to make it to the top.

"This time I feel like I have something to prove," said Stubblefield. "I'm just going to try to train harder and eat and drink a little more. Hopefully those little things will make the difference."

ÝFor more information or to make a donation towards the climb, contact Messner at (303) 663-2600 or jeffmessner@gmail.com.