Syracuse.com - Augusto "Goose" Perez determined to do his best at IPC Adaptive Biathlon and Nordic World Cup

[HuntingNY-News]

Despite having only one leg and having recently underwent cancer treatments, he's determined to finish all seven races in the coming week.

Perez has battled with cancer four times. John Berry/The Post-Standard

¦Quitting just doesn’t seem to be in Augusto “Goose” Perez’s vocabulary.

The 40-year-old East Syracuse resident has battled cancer four times, recovering from yet another operation and six weeks of chemotherapy that ended Jan. 4.

Nevertheless, Perez, who had his left leg amputated in 2003, is scheduled to begin a series of seven races today at the International Paralympic Committee Adaptive Biathlon and Nordic World Cup in Cable, Wisc.

His goal is to qualify for the U.S. Paralympic Nordic ski team, a quest that began a year ago. He’s been training ever since. He readily admits the cancer treatment has affected his training and conditioning, but he’s determined to give it his best.

“I don’t have the burning talent, just the work ethic. I’ll be competing in all seven events,” he said, prior to a 15 -kilometer, cross country ski workout Wednesday at Winona Forest in Jefferson County.

Perez, who played soccer at LeMoyne College, sees competitive sports and working out as the best way to deal with the pain and frustration of his illness.

He was diagnosed in 2000 with soft tissue sarcoma at the age of 28, just as he and his wife, Brenda, were celebrating their first wedding anniversary. The rare form of cancer affects muscles, tissues, nerves and tendons which connect organs to his body.

Despite what initially appeared to be a successful treatment, the cancer came roaring back. In 2003, his doctor broke the news that he’d have to take Perez’s left leg off.

His response?

“I asked him how long I’d be in the hospital and he told me four days. I told him to take me on Tuesday because I have a graduation party I have to go to on Saturday,” Perez said, who added that he did indeed attend the party.

Perez working out Wednesday at Winona Forest. John Berry/The Post-Standard

And the leg?

“I had it cremated. It’s in my basement,” he said. “I was attached to it for a little while.”

Perez, who at the time of the amputation was working at ARISE where he taught life skills to developmentally disabled children, was determined to move on and not let it affect his life. He eventually became passionate about wheelchair curling and gained a spot of the U.S. Paralympic Team for the 2006 Torino games. He later decided he wanted a more physical challenged and took adaptive outrigger canoeing, winning the 200-meter sprint world championship in 2009.

More than a year ago, he met some competitors on the Nordic ski team and decided he wanted to give that sport a try.

“I was just turning 40 and I decided if I didn’t try this right now – learning how to ski, how to shoot – that I’d never do it,” he said. “So I quit the other sports and after three months of abusing myself in training, I made the development team.”

However, the development team provides little or no stipends for its athletes. Perez does have a coach, though, who sends him workouts and monitors his progress. Otherwise, his travel, equipment and other expenses are out-of-pocket.

During the summer he has a custom-made mountain board on wheels that he trains in. He uses it, along with a hand-powered cycle, to compete in road races, including this year’s Empire State Marathon. During the winter, he works out in the snow on a custom-made “sit ski.” It includes a soft, comfortable, plastic seat mounted on a special metal frame, which all rests on a pair of cross country skis.

Going up hills on cross country skis that are attached in two places and don’t lift off the ground can present problems, Perez conceded before Wednesday’s workout at Winona.

“It can be rough. I just shorten my poling and increase the rate,” he said.

He also has a Garmin attached to the metal frame that helps him in his training.

“It helps me track my speed and distance, my cardio, how many calories I’m burning, my elevation – everything I need to know,” he said.

When healthy, Perez said he tries to train upwards of 27 hours a week – occasionally doing eye-opening workouts such as pull-ups with one of his 50-pound daughters hanging from his waist.

Perez and his wife have two children – 8 ½ year old twins, Ainoa and Iker.

“He’s a real inspiration for his children,” she said. “He tries to show that no matter what happens, he always has to try, no matter how hard it is. He keeps trying.”

Perez’s cancer and his training- related expenses, though, has undoubtedly caused a severe financial strain on the family. At this point, neither he or his wife are working – mainly because the cancer and the time involved in Perez’s care and taking care of the children, his wife said.

In 2011, Perez and his wife were charged with fraud in Onondaga County because they didn’t list $23,500 Perez received from the U.S. Olympic Committee on a Medicaid application. Perez got the money while working as a speaker and making appearances at training sessions and competitions. The Perez household received $19,873.91 in benefits it was not entitled to, officials said. Perez paid a settlement, he told the Watertown Daily TImes.

Undaunted, Perez remains determined to live life to the fullest.

Carolyn K. Rees, president of the Winona Forest Recreational Association said Perez offers an “inspiring message.” Jamie Wilson, ski chairman for Winona Forest, said Perez has been coming up to train at Winona several times a week since the snow first fell before Christmas.

“We’ve been maintaining the trails for him, packing them down, setting up tracks for him to ski. We support him,” he said.

Perez made no predictions or promises about how he’ll do during this week’s competitions – except for one.

“I’m going to finish every race,” he said.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog