Zupan

[brendanuk]

Hi there,

I saw Zupan on Miami Ink last night in the UK. I didn't realise he had as much movement has he has. I thought he was a quad with both hands affected but apparently not, he said he had one good hand and one bad.

Had a nice tattoo done too.

[BA]

As far as I know Zupan can get up and walk. I think Chan has met him IRL, she probably knows better.

[Chan]

It's true, one of his hands isn't affected at all. What AB said is right as well, he can actually stand and walk, though not normally.

[Triassic]

I'd be real curious to read his actual medical records. The simple fact that he was able to hold onto that tree branch for x many hours immediately post injury speaks volumes. Any of you other quads would have been glug, glug, glug, right?

He was the only Murderballer who didn't 'read' as disabled. To me he looked like any buff dude sitting down. All the rest were obviously quads.

I would think if anyone wouldbe a candidate for regaining the functional ability to walk, it would be Zupan.

[jenny]

Ah, but then he'd be just another guy with too-short hair and too many tattoos.

[Triassic]

Heh...now THAT raises an interesting question. I know a lot of you girls think Mark Z. is the berries. But if he were the same drunken soccer playing frat boy type he was in college(which he seems to be except his sport is now murderball)...never been injured...would you be attracted?

[laurasweetou]

I'd be attracted to all the tattoos

[Jocker]

Two points:
1. As a recreational rugby player, the tests you go through to be graded in the points system is pretty thorough and I believe Zupan is one of the highest ratings (3.0 or 3.5). The officials who do the classifying at the tournaments are well educated and it is virtually impossible to sandbag or fake your level of disability.
2. I was a drunken football playing frat boy type with tattoos. My injury occurred playing college football. Does that mean Zupan or myself aren't allowed to mature or are we stuck with that label?

[BA]

I do not believe in stereotyping anyone with labels based on what they once did or were. People grow and change. Zupan can come off on TV as still maintaining that "jock = jerk" image, but I think that's only because that is what MTV and the Jackass brigade wanted to show. I am certain that he is a whole lot more complex than that.

I do not think he is "the berries". He just isn't my type. I do not find any attraction to him in chair or out. Then again, that's not fair, b/c I do NOT know him and am basing my impressions on Murderball and MTV only. I just don't find him handsome. But, by today's standards, he's the "cool thing".

[jenny]

Yeah, I'm with AB on this one. Zupan's aggressive persona just isn't for me. And I'm not much for the look. I certainly don't think he's faking or exaggerating his level of abilities.

And yeah, to me, someone who stays in the competitive arena in that way isn't letting himself grow up in other ways. But then, I'm not a jock-ette and never will be.

Jocker, of course you're "allowed" to mature. If you don't act like an obnoxious frat boy, you likely won't be labeled on. Obnoxious frat boy is as obnoxious frat boy does.

[Cake]

Triassic said:

...never been injured...would you be attracted?

It's very simple. No berries without chair then still no berries with chair. If a guy isn't my type, he isn't my type. A broken spine doesn't just change that.

[laurasweetou]

cake said:

Triassic said:

...never been injured...would you be attracted?

It's very simple. No berries without chair then still no berries with chair. If a guy isn't my type, he isn't my type. A broken spine doesn't just change that.

right on jenny!

[Jocker]

jenny said:

Yeah, I'm with AB on this one. Zupan's aggressive persona just isn't for me. And I'm not much for the look. I certainly don't think he's faking or exaggerating his level of abilities.

And yeah, to me, someone who stays in the competitive arena in that way isn't letting himself grow up in other ways. But then, I'm not a jock-ette and never will be.

Jocker, of course you're "allowed" to mature. If you don't act like an obnoxious frat boy, you likely won't be labeled on. Obnoxious frat boy is as obnoxious frat boy does.

Boys will be boys and yes I agree "Obnoxious frat boy is as obnoxious frat boy does." But I don't understand how allowing yourself to compete, especially at the level Zupan and his teammates do hinders them from growing up in other ways? They travel around the world, experience other cultures, meet people who are in similar life situations, learn how other quads do things, while competing at an elite level physically and mentally. I fail to see how that doesn't allow him to grow up. Basing your judgments on just seeing certain aspects of a person in a movie and on Jackass is not fair. Those aspects are edited by someone else for better or worse.
Zupan also speaks to many newly injured persons, works as an engineer and inspires many others. On the whole I believe he does much more good than negative. What a person does speaks more about them than what they say, and in my opinion Zupan does a alot more great things than any perceived bad ones.

[Triassic]

Excellant points, Jocker. And in no way was I implying Zupe was not a real quad. Of course he is.

[jenny]

Jocker, you're right - I was basing my opinion of Zupan on what I'd seen in 'Murderball'. Of course in that movie, it seemed like his entire life and the center of his being was completely focused on staying on the team and competing. Lately, I've run into a couple of guys who say bluntly that the reason for their being is to crush whatever opposition comes their way. To me, that's no way to live but it obviously works for them.

If someone stays in a pocket of his life that's exclusively his comfort zone and doesn't try to stretch beyond that, that's not growing up. And honestly, that was how I recall "Murderball" portraying him.