Event Sunday a piece of recovery for Basinger

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By David Freeze

For the Salisbury Post

On New Year's Eve 2002, Margaret Basinger was severely injured in at fall while volunteering her time.

Her doctors diagnosed that she had severe spinal cord bruising, and she was described as an incomplete quadriplegic. Margaret had been an avid exerciser, and loved the feeling of a good workout.

She was employed at East Rowan High School as a guidance counselor, and volunteered in the community as often as time allowed. Margaret loved gardening and decorating her home. Her active lifestyle was an inspiration to others.

About 500 miles away, Tracey Kinyo was completing her undergraduate degree at Ohio State University. Despite Tracey's active lifestyle from early childhood, which included dancing and gymnastics starting at age 2, she became a chubby middle schooler who lacked confidence.

About that time she mixed in volleyball, running and light weightlifting to help burn off the baby fat. Her baby fat fell away, but her confidence grew only slightly. Tracey was searching for direction. Her intent upon entering OSU was to become a pharmacist, but she found the courses boring.

Tracey went to an info session on exercise science and was hooked on a life of wellness, along with helping others to achieve it too. She graduated with a BS in Exercise Science in 2003.

Margaret's fall had changed her life. She no longer could be active, and felt trapped in her body. She couldn't do many of the little things that were afterthoughts before. She had lost feeling in much of her body, and she couldn't balance. Working out at the Y seemed only a distant memory.

Tracey moved on to San Diego to pursue an internship at the Olympic Training Center where she became an assistant strength and conditioning coach. Tracey worked with athletes who were preparing for the 2004 Athens Greece Summer Games. She is still friends with many of these athletes, including some who just participated in the Vancouver Winter Games.

Even more rewarding in some ways were her experiences helping the Paralympic athletes, or those who still competed even though they were handicapped. Tracey graduated with a master's degree in Exercise Studies with an emphasis on exercise physiology. She loved who she had become and her confidence was at an all time high.

Margaret wanted desperately to be able to recover as much as she could. She knew that her body would never be the same as it used to be, but there just had to be a way to improve her physical condition.

Tracey moved with her future husband Travis to Salisbury for his work, and Tracey went job hunting. She found part-time work at the East Rowan YMCA, and later at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College and Rufty-Holmes Senior Center. Tracey worked at the YMCA as an aerobics teacher and personal trainer.

In November 2007, Fitness Director Nicole Hill told Margaret that the Y had a new trainer, and there might be a chance that Tracey could help her. Nicole knew that Tracey was comfortable working with unique challenges and Margaret's special needs would be addressed.

Tracey wanted to help Margaret as much as Margaret wanted to get better. Tracey felt that Margaret did not need to be babied, and wanted to challenge her. Margaret wanted to be pushed, and was willing to work hard. Her workouts became tougher, though sometimes they had to be modified for her condition. Tracey and Margaret met several times a week, and through continuous work on both sides, Margaret's condition improved dramatically. She made improvements in balance, gait, and relaxation of her neck and shoulders, as well as a significant increase in endurance. Margaret has a stronger core and increased strength in her arms.

Most telling is Margaret's ability to stand without help and to even get up off the floor and out of the tub without assistance. She just completed a mile walk. Margaret continues to be an inspiration to many at the Y and elsewhere. She is volunteering, gardening, and decorating again. Tracey is so proud of her. In fact, Tracey's greatest passion is to help others feel better about themselves and to accomplish more than they ever thought possible.

But the story doesn't end here. Margaret has to keep working, and Tracey will keep helping her. But it isn't all about Tracey helping Margaret. They have become great friends, so Margaret has been a big factor in some of Tracey's endeavors of late. Tracey teaches Zumba at the YMCA, the First Reformed Church in Landis, the Salisbury Civic Center and is a personal trainer at the Rufty-Holmes Senior Center. Zumba is a high energy Latin dance which provides quite a workout for the instructor as well as the participants.

Tracey is also a full-time nursing student at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in Concord. If that isn't enough, Tracey qualified for the 2010 Boston Marathon in October, and is nearing the end of her training for the event April 19. Margaret has been a calming force through all of this. Tracey says, "She helps keep me sane!"

On Sunday, Tracey will have a fundraiser at the Salisbury Civic Center to pay expenses related to her Boston Marathon trip. The "Zumba Kick-Off Party: Tracey's Road to Boston" will take place from 2-5 p.m., all are welcome. Entry is $10, or $5 and five canned goods. Tracey and Margaret will both be dancing; something that few others thought that Margaret could do again. Tracey and Margaret did, so they will celebrate that too.

More information is available at traceykinyo@ yahoo.com or at the Civic Center 704-638-5275.