Game On!
Photography by Vityl Media
Adaptive athletes across the city are proving that competition is for everyone – showcasing skill, strength, and perseverance in every arena.
From a climber and cyclist to a martial artist and more, meet five local athletes and hear what drew them to the sport, the challenges they’ve overcome, and their advice for aspiring competitors.
During the winter of 2024, I sprained my ankle. Since I am affected with Cerebral Palsy (CP), healing was difficult for me, due to dealing with muscle tightness. One day, I saw Debbie Hightower, co-founder of SPARC, a chapter of Move United Sports, at the mall. She told me that the cycling season was about to start, and I should join. When I told her I couldn’t pedal a tricycle because of my sprained ankle, she said, “That’s okay! You can use a handcycle and pedal with your hands.” I was feeling down because of my injury and was searching for a new hobby to make me feel happy and get me up and moving. After my first session with the handcycle, I fell in love with the sport.
Since I am affected with CP, I am unable to walk on my own; I have to constantly adapt to be able to navigate the world. Handcycling is an example of that for me. While I may not be able to ride a traditional bicycle because of balance issues, I can still get quality exercise by handcycling. I have to remind myself that just because I have to adapt and approach a situation differently, doesn’t mean I am incapable of doing the task.
While I use my hands to pedal on my handcycle, it is actually a full-body workout! I have to engage my core while I pedal to keep centered on my seat, and my legs and feet hold me steady too. I can feel my whole body working together while I handcycle.
Don’t be discouraged if the adaptive sport starts out as tough! When I began handcycling, I was so out of breath and sore afterward. But the more I rode, the easier and more fun it became. It’s also okay to NOT push your body to its absolute limit. Sometimes, riding four miles is easy – and other days it’s not, so I cut my ride short. Just listen to your body.
I started playing in 1993 down in Warren Springs, Georgia, at a rehabilitation facility for people with disabilities. That’s when I was diagnosed with post-polio syndrome and told not to play to conserve my energy. But that didn’t go well, so I made the decision to start wheelchair games and sports. I’ve played basketball, tennis, dance, rugby, and pickleball.
In tennis, I was serving overhead for a long time, but I started having shoulder problems – sharp pain and pinching – while I was serving. I got to the place where I could hardly do that anymore. So, I taught myself how to serve underhand, which I got pretty good at.
The wheels on my chair are angled, which gives me the ability to spin them faster. I can push, move, turn, and change directions a lot quicker than I could with wheels that stand straight up.
Go for it! It’s good mentally, physically, and spiritually. It can really lift your life up because it gives you the feeling that you can still be active and that you can still go out and shine in whatever you want to do.
I would love to see more accessibility here and around the country. When people become newly injured, accessibility helps them realize that their lives are not over. They can keep going down a new avenue and keep it positive.
Winning some big tournaments. Being named MVP for the rugby tournament in Atlanta. Just being able to play these activities and do these sports. I think most of all is how God has given me the ability to inspire people through my games, sports, and dance.
When I was 9 years old, I was watching a show on Disney called “Kickin’ It.” One of the senseis was in a wheelchair, and I started wondering if that was something I could do, too. My mom asked my physical therapist about it, and she thought it would be excellent exercise. She also told us she had just seen a listing for Green’s Karate in a resource for parents. We reached out and I started immediately. I have gone to competitions all over the U.S., earned over 40 gold medals, and this July, earned my spot as the first male wheelchair user on the team.
I’ve been involved in so many adaptive sports: biking, kayaking, water skiing, snow skiing, weightlifting, basketball, and baseball, but karate is my passion. I train with a group, but each day I’m competing against myself to be better than the day before. Karate teaches self-defense and physical skills but also discipline and dedication. Each belt I earn means that I’ve passed physical and mental milestones.
I’m the only wheelchair user at my dojo, but I don’t feel any different there. I have the skills and can train just like everyone. With my sensei, we have been able to make adaptions so that it is seamless. However, I also love sports and activities with other adaptive athletes. There is something to be said about participating in sports with other adaptive athletes. You understand each other and the daily struggles. You share tips for daily life, and no group is more accepting than a group of adaptive athletes. Everyone is there for the same reasons: to have fun, to prove you can, and to be part of a group.
Earning my spot onto the USA Karate Para team and getting the privilege to represent the U.S. in Cairo this November. I have worked toward that goal for several years. Another goal I had was to hit the ball over the fence during Miracle League. When the pitch is just where I like it, the bat connects in the sweet spot, and the ball flies over the fence – there is nothing like that.
After my second amputation in July of 2023, the infection that had invaded my body was gone. This enabled me to become more mobile. As I began working out with an exceptional disability CrossFit coach, I grew stronger quickly. From there, I began biking with SPARC and kayaking with Therapeutic Recreation of Chattanooga. Through these activities, I gained the confidence to attempt climbing with Catalyst of Chattanooga at High Point Climbing & Fitness. This led to outdoor climbing.
The challenges I’ve overcome have to do with how to do things differently than non-disabled people, including how to enter a kayak, how to get on and off of a bike, and how to get to climbing locations. Thanks to the knowledge and experience of the volunteers and leaders at SPARC, Catalyst, Therapeutic Recreation, YMCA Bodies in Motion, and my team at POA of Chattanooga, we’ve found solutions.
I would say that the volunteers and participants in all three activities are what’ve shaped my view of my abilities. I’ve met many inspiring people who’ve overcome more than me, and the volunteers who support these activities are so amazing. I was concerned that I’d be pitied or coddled, but nothing like that has ever happened. I’ve been respected and encouraged by everyone.
Physically, I’m able to complete daily tasks easier and live a healthier lifestyle with movement. Emotionally, I’m a much happier and confident person with a very positive attitude. Socially, I’ve met so many more beautiful people who have enriched my life and given me viewpoints that I use daily to help others.
I’ve lost both my feet, but what I’ve gained in the fullness of my life since then is immeasurable. I view every day as a gift to share with as many people as I can. I love Chattanooga and the people in it who have lifted me up, though they may never know it.
The first time I experienced wheelchair tennis was in 2020. My mom had just come back from the U.S. Open in New York where she heard about wheelchair tennis through the U.S. Open radio. At the time, I had been playing sports in my community with all able-bodied players. My mom thought we could try it out, and I attended my first wheelchair clinic in Atlanta. Once I hit my first ball, I fell in love with tennis.
Ever since I started tennis, instead of my mindset for my everyday life being, “What can’t I do?” it’s been, “What can I do?” I feel like this has helped me to try everything that comes my way and not back away from it.
I attend Chattanooga Christian School (CCS), and I have played on their middle school and high school teams with all able-bodied players. I train at the Maclellan Tennis Center on campus, but I compete all around the world in many countries. The community at CCS means so much to me and has been very encouraging. They have given me so much support and confidence to keep going and never stop. My coaches, Jason Tipton and Derek Markey, have also done a lot for me. They have helped me in all the parts of my life, and I am very thankful for them and that God has put them into my life.
One of the proudest moments in my tennis career is definitely getting into the U.S. Open for the first time. It was really cool to go to the place that inspired your tennis career.
My big goal is to get into the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles, but I also have smaller goals that I want to accomplish. I would like to win all the grand slams (U.S. Open, Australian Open, French Open, and potentially Wimbledon) before my junior career is over.
