Paralympics

It was a day in March when the unthinkable happened to 21-year-old Jim Bob Bizzell.

"I was doing wheelies on my friend's Honda motorcycle on March 26," he said. "I overdid it a little bit. That was the day I lost my left leg."

Instead of sulking about his lost limb, Bizzell, now 22, decided he wanted to make something out of his misfortune.

"I heard about the U.S. Paralympic team and wanted to do something instead of sitting around," he said. "I'm training right now for the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing. I'm pretty excited.

"I'm planning on running the 100-, 200- and 300-meter races," he said. "I'm also hoping we can get a relay team together for the team event."

Bizzell's mother said she didn't expect anything less from her son.

"Most people would just give up, but not him," Christi Baggett said. "He's just kept doing what he's always done. He's not the type to give up - he never has been."

Bizzell said his "never-give-up" attitude has helped him at his new job in Oklahoma. "I'm a mentor for juveniles," he said. "They usually respond to everything I've gone through. They like the idea that I'm still running despite everything."

With Bizzell's urge to run, it doesn't hurt that he comes from an athletic family. His father, Joe Bob Bizzell, has 30 career interceptions while at Permian and was a three-time all-state player. His brother, Clayton Bizzell was a safety for Permian.

"They're a very athletic family," Baggett said. "I completely expected him to recover and get back to what he normally did before the accident."

Jim Bob Bizzell said he recovered fast.

He got back on a motorcycle the day he got his artificial leg and has gone surfing and sky diving since the accident.

Joe Bob Bizzell said his son had no fears.

"He doesn't have a scared bone in his body," he said. "He's completely fearless - it's just in his blood."

The 22-year-old said he's also fearless in the dating scene.

"Oh yeah - the girls love it," he said with a smile. "I would say it definitely gets the sympathy points with the girls."

Jim Bob Bizzell is just as confident about his skills on the track.

"I think I'll make the national team," he said. "I have tryouts in Atlanta, but I'm already running times faster than some of the team is running. There's no way I won't make the team."

In fact, he said his 11-second times in the 100-meter run has him envisioning crossing the finish line first.

"I've already seen myself at Beijing," he said. "I see myself holding up one finger and getting a gold medal.

"Just watch - it'll happen," he said.