Strokes of inspiration

SHANGHAI: Gregory Burns' record-breaking achievements in the swimming pool began in the seat of power. As a small child, Burns had the fortune of swimming regularly in the heated pool of the White House.

As a grandchild of President Eisenhower's consultant, Burns had the rare opportunity to train several times a week in the heated water, which was considered helpful for polio-haunted children. In the early 1960s, normal swimming pools had no heating systems.

Fast forward 30 years and to the Barcelona Paralympics. At the grand old age of 35, when most sportsmen in any field retire, Burns won gold and began his Paralympic medal tally haul of a half a dozen gold and silver medals at Atlanta and the Sydney Paralympics.

After competing in his last Paralympics in Sydney in 2000, he got the chance to return to the White House, along with fellow Olympians and Paralympians, to present one of his paintings to President Bill Clinton on behalf of the US Paralympics Swim Team.

There he once again saw the lime-green tiles of the heated pool, which was the springboard of his life.

The accomplished artist is now in China to open his solo exhibition of abstract paintings and collages -Connection Shanghai which is running at the River South Art Center in the artistic milieu of Shanghai's Suzhou Creek until October 21. His paintings are filled with memories of train-rides and hiking-trips around China after his first trip here in 1984.

As Burns was telling his life story, the most pressing question was about the source of his power. What had made a once polio-weakened boy fight to become an athlete, artist and motivational speaker?

"I found that as much as it can be scary, I often succeed in achieving something great when I dared to take a chance," Burns says.

"Taking a chance and overcoming limitations really is a battle of me against myself, and me against my attachments. I fight against the little voice we all have inside our heads saying that 'it is good enough'."

Burns' life experience of dealing with the effects of polio and becoming a successful athlete and recognized artist has provided him with insights into overcoming challenges. Yet, Burns notes, he does not have any easy answers for other people.

According to Burns, overcoming challenges is a question of adapting, being disciplined, and going beyond one's comfort zone. In his eyes, the creative or sales related challenges in a company are comparable to his own personal life experiences.

Confronted with the question of whether he is competitive, Burns initially said no. This initiated great protests from his old friend, Dwayne, who was eavesdropping on Burns' story. "I can't believe you said you're not competitive," said the friend, who had just flown in from California to see the show.

"Anybody who knows you would say that you are," Dwayne says.

According to Burns, being competitive starts from within.

"It is a question of making the most of what you have," Burns says. "I believe that the good things we can only earn ourselves. We can be given a lot of things, but the stuff that we can be proud of is what we earn by our efforts. In the end, it is about making yourself happy by what you do and how you live."

Although contracting polio has shaped his life, Burns refused to be a product of it. At the same time, he has "definitely been influenced by what growing up with a disability has allowed him to experience".

"Because of the disability I was forced to look at life differently," Burns says pensively.

Burns started swimming at age 3 and by 18 had become a top disabled swimmer. After winning every swimming competition in America, Burns retired from professional sports at the age of 26.

"I needed to get a life," Burns reveals about taking time to get an education, and later on, a wife who, as a professional photographer, joined Burns on his travels.

The break from swimming lasted until 1991, and the first Gulf War pushed Burns into supporting his country and he enlisted for the Paralympics. The following year, he won his first Paralympics swimming medal.

In the break from swimming, Burns ventured to Asia in 1984, staying on ever since. First stop on his Asia journey was to study Chinese painting and calligraphy in Taiwan, followed by a 16-month journey across China, Nepal, India and Pakistan.

During his recent months of painting in China, Burns has rediscovered the country and browsed through modern Shanghai as well as his old travel journals. His connection to China has influenced both his artistic and athletic life.

"I have competed against some brilliant Chinese Paralympics contestants and can see an increasing interest in and support of the Chinese team," he says. "I think they will do well in next year's Beijing Paralympics."

The growing popularity of disabled sports is partly linked with the fact that China is hosting the two major sporting events for different types of disabled people - the 2007 Special Olympics this month and the 2008 Paralympics.

According to China Disabled Persons' Federation, 60 million people are living with different types of disabilities in China. Out of this group, approximately 8.77 million people have physical disabilities, while about 11.82 million people are estimated to have mental disabilities.

(China Daily 10/09/2007 page19)