Brenna Huckaby brings home Bronze and Gold in the Paralympic games

When we think of the Paralympic games, we think of an inclusive place where disabled athletes come to display their hard work and live out their dreams—a place where the seemingly impossible is made possible. For Brenna Huckaby, professional snowboarder, osteosarcoma survivor, and above-the-knee amputee, the Paralympics had been a place where she won gold for Team USA in 2018 and inspired us all. Using the skills she gained in competitive gymnastics as a kid and sheer determination, she learned to snowboard after losing her leg to cancer at 14. When Brenna was told she would not be able to compete in the upcoming 2022 Paralympic snowboarding event due to a limited number of qualified athletes in her classification group, she refused to sit back and allow something this unjust to happen. Wasn't this the place where differences didn't matter and needed only the right amount of skill and drive to participate? Why was she being punished and excluded for being one of the few good enough people? This is, after all, where the best of the best come to compete.

After a nearly two-year-long legal battle, during which Brenna fought for the right to compete, she finally received word that the German courts had ruled in her favor. She would be permitted to join the L2 athletes, who were less disabled, putting her at a physical disadvantage. Instead of feeling discouraged to be competing against these athletes, she felt empowered. She shared her news with the world not to brag but to remind us that we shouldn't allow these injustices to go unnoticed. In a world where those who are different are still discriminated against and often seen as weak or not important enough, we must speak up.

She arrived in Beijing ready to compete, standing tall and smiling big as the cameras zoomed in on the bright blue steaks in her hair carefully folded into a loose braid while her story was shared with the viewers. First up was the snowboard cross event. After overcoming several stumbles, the announcer and cameraman had nearly counted her out of the semi-finals when she came out of nowhere to secure second place. During the finals, she collided with another athlete, got back up, and finished the race, placing third and winning bronze. Later in the week, she won gold in the banked slalom event, starting each race further back and picking up speed when the race seems all but over to cross the finish line and leave us all in awe. Her style is nothing if not symbolic.

I felt inspired by her story and her fight. When others might have given up, she stood up and used her voice to do her part and help make the world a place where we all get a chance. As I watched her race, a sense of power came through me. It was as if my physical roadblocks became imaginary ones that I could tackle using only my mind. I may not be ready to strap on a snowboard and compete in the Paralympics, but Brenna taught me to believe in myself, and that lesson is a priceless one.