I’ve been involved in wheelchair tennis and adaptive sports for more than four decades, and what started as a way to rebuild my own life after a spinal cord injury has become a lifelong passion for helping others discover what is possible through sport.

I was introduced to wheelchair tennis in the early 1980s through Casa Colina Rehabilitation Center in Pomona, California. I quickly fell in love with the sport and the community surrounding it. Tennis gave me a renewed sense of purpose, independence, and competition, and eventually took me to the highest levels of wheelchair tennis. In 1994, I had the opportunity to win the U.S. Open in the A-B division.

While competing has been an important part of my life, some of the most rewarding experiences have come from helping other athletes get started, improve their skills, and find their own place in adaptive sports. Today, I work as a wheelchair tennis coach and serve on the USTA NorCal Adaptive Tennis Committee, where I continue to advocate for greater opportunities for athletes of all ages and abilities.

As President of the Adaptive Athletics Association, my focus has expanded beyond one sport. I want AAA to be a place where athletes, coaches, organizations, and communities can connect with the resources and opportunities they need to participate and succeed in adaptive athletics.

We’re working to expand clinics, competitions, athlete development, coaching education, equipment access, and partnerships while helping more facilities and organizations understand how they can create meaningful opportunities for people with disabilities.

I believe adaptive sports can change lives because I’ve experienced it firsthand. Sport gave me more than something to do—it gave me a community, goals to pursue, and a reason to keep pushing forward. My goal with AAA is to help create those same opportunities for as many people as possible.

I don’t want adaptive sports to be an afterthought. I want them to be recognized as an essential part of the athletic community—where athletes can participate, compete, lead, and discover what they are capable of.