Posts tagged ‘2016 Paralympic Games’
Emily Frederick Forged Her Own Path to Rio
Photo via Cardoni
If it wasn’t for an error on a GPS, it’s possible that Emily Frederick wouldn’t have found herself in Rio for the Paralympics last fall.
No, so she didn’t drive all the way down to Brazil on accident or anything like that. Frederick, an Alabama native who was born with dwarfism and stands 4-foot-1, needs special pedals to drive. When she was in high school and eager to get her license, her mother drove alone to a facility in Birmingham, Ala., called Lakeshore.
There are two Lakeshores in Birmingham. The one they needed was a rehabilitation center that had those pedal extensions; the other was a training facility for athletes with disabilities. They’re right next door to one another. The GPS brought Frederick’s mom—an assistant high school track coach—to the training facility. She got a tour and realized it was the perfect place for her daughter, who grew up playing sports but had stopped because she struggled to keep up with her teammates.
Initially, Emily wasn’t on board with her mother’s idea. (more…)
Brett Gravatt Discusses His Post-Injury Life
Former Nittany Lion soccer player Brett Gravatt, whom we profiled in our Jan./Feb. 2016 issue, appeared on a recent episode of the podcast Let’s Talk with Jacob Wilkins.
This is a quick listen, and it hits on a number of aspects of Gravatt’s life. Among other things, Gravatt and Wilkins ’10 talk about the details behind Gravatt’s injury, adapting to life post-injury, getting involved with Penn State’s Ability Athletics program, and his current role with the Penn State soccer team.
Gravatt also discussed competing in wheelchair racing and his aspirations of making it to this September’s Paralympic Games in Rio. Gravatt is one of four Penn Staters who have qualified for the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Trials later this month. We’ll keep an eye on them.
Bill DiFilippo, online editor
