Jaclyn Schmidt

From high school student to public speaker, Disabled Water Ski National Champ Jaclyn Schmidt visits with S`NS and talks about the sport of sit-skiing and the people who encouraged her to explore adaptive sports.

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Jaclyn Schmidt wasn’t always interested in sports. In fact, it wasn’t until she attended a camp for kids with disabilities that she met Royce Andes, the developer of the modern sit-ski, which sparked her interest in wheelchair sports. “Wave Camp is when I was introduced to water-skiing,” says Schmidt. “The first time I skied, I knew this would be for me.” Wave Camp is a program offered through the Department of Parks and Recreation in Sacramento, Calif., and offers sports and leisure opportunities for disabled kids interested in pursuing sports.

The 17-year-old high school senior was injured during an ATV accident in 2002, which resulted in L2 paraplegia. That hasn’t stopped her from pursuing her passion of becoming a noteworthy athlete. Schmidt has been sit-skiing for more than six years and most recently participated in the 2009 Disabled Water Ski National Championships. She trains under the watchful eyes of Matthew Oberholz and Dave Owings, both world-class skiing athletes within the disabled skiing community. “Skiing was the kick start into the world of wheelchair sports,” Schmidt says.

When she’s not on the water, Schmidt spends a portion of her time as a public speaker to local sixth-grade students, helping spread awareness about wheelchair sports. “I love inspiring people of all abilities,” says Schmidt. “They (the kids) are so interested and amazed that I water-ski.” Schmidt’s philosophy of “being disabled doesn’t mean you can’t be an athlete” is echoed in her presentations and everyday life.

Schmidt is currently training for the nationals in August and looks forward to her final year in high school. She has applied for a scholarship to help fund her ski equipment through the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and then hopes to attend California State University-Long Beach, or the University of California to pursue a career in film editing.

www.accessleisuresac.org/wave.htm

http://www.challengedathletes.org/

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