As a single mother with no other significant source of income and my daughter nearing college age, this was a golden opportunity - pun intended - to provide some means for her education. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and the pay scale for us Paralympic athletes had at last reached parity with our Olympic counterparts. Recent developments in the Paralympic movement made me hang in there - the U.S. 2021, HopefullyĪlicia Dana: At 52 years old, I had looked to these games as my final hurrah and was eager and determined to bring home gold in at least one of my races. Shelby Baron poses in the Paralympic stadium. I started seeing a sports psychologist for the first time and once I got back on the court, I began to enjoy tennis again. With the time away from the court I focused on other things including my mental health. I went on walks with my coach, did workouts and got into cooking.
Having little goals in my life helped me stay on track and productive. So, in addition to Zoom workouts and film sessions, we’d have some calls where we just had a beer or a drink or whatever and talked and hung out.īaron: To stay sane, I got a little whiteboard and every evening I’d write out my schedule for the next day. Some of the guys were pretty isolated and alone.
Paralympics to open with empty stands but a bigger stage how to#
We had to figure out how to keep our chemistry and camaraderie together when we couldn’t be together for what ended up being 10 and a half months. It was great to maintain my fitness and keep a positive mindset, giving me a sense of freedom during the toughest lockdowns.ĭelagrave: There was also the Team dynamic with wheelchair rugby. While boat sheds were closed, the portability of the lightweight, folding kayak made it easy for me to throw it in my trunk and independently practice on any waterway when social gatherings were banned. Fortunately, due to its solo nature, paddling was declared a low-risk outdoor activity, and I was able to take my Oru kayak out for exercise. Susan Seipel: Australia had extensive restrictions and many lockdowns leading up to the games. I just had to let those emotions come through and feel them, and then go, “OK, let’s make a plan for what that looks like for me as an individual and for my family.” It meant that instead of five months of training left, we’ve now got 17 months … oh crap. Joe Delagrave: When the Paralympics were delayed, I took a pause to figure out what it meant.
Tennis Association that we had to stop playing because of COVID-19, it actually came at a really good time for me.
In 2020, when the word came down from the U.S. I put a lot of stress on myself, and my game was suffering. I graduated from college and put off working so I could train, but I really questioned what I wanted to do. Shelby Baron: I was playing some of the worst tennis of my life when the pandemic hit. Previous Paralympic Experience: Bronze medal, London 2012 silver medal, Rio 2016 Disability: Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies, type II
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