Sports

Estella Hassrick: Competitive Ski Jumping, Hearing Loss & Spatial Awareness

Estella Hassrick’s journey to the U.S. National Ski Jumping Team began at age four on the slopes of the Blackhawk Ski Club. After exploring various sports—cross-country, snowboarding, and alpine skiing—she eventually fell in love with the “feeling of flying” found on the jump hills. By her early teens, Hassrick’s commitment to the sport deepened, leading … Read more

Ashley Fiolek — Old and New Friends

It’s getting closer and closer to summer time and luckily that means more ride time! A few of my friends from Virginia came down to Florida for the Daytona supercross so that we could hang out and ride together. They wound up bringing their trailer and bikes and just “camped” out at my house. My … Read more

Le Mans, Adaptive Racing Beyond Limits

Elena Rosberg’s directorial debut, “Le Mans, Racing Beyond Limits,” is a riveting documentary that explores the world of adaptive motorcycle racing. Set against the backdrop of the prestigious Le Mans European Motorcycle Championship, this film showcases the determination and spirit of riders with disabilities. Filmed between April 18th and 20th, 2024, in Le Mans, France, … Read more

Race Car Driver, Ad Executive, Diver and Advocate: Torsten Gross — Life’s Loopholes

By definition, inspiration sparks fresh ideas. But as Torsten Gross has learned through his years in the corporate world and beyond, what people truly need is motivation—practical steps to turn creative thoughts into action. A self-described “multi-hyphenate,” Gross’s résumé reads like a one-man highlight reel: advertising and marketing executive, competitive race car driver, the world’s … Read more

Erik Weihenmayer – No Barriers

Erik Weihenmayer opens his No Barriers podcast with the declaration that it’s easy to discuss the successes, but nobody really talks about the struggles, and it’s the struggles that help us break through barriers. As of 2023, roughly 370 people have climbed the Seven Summits, which are the highest peaks on each of the seven … Read more

ISA Para Surf 2024 World Championships

Huntington Beach, California—better known as Surf City, U.S.A.—is a small town with a Nazaré sized legacy. Sitting pretty along Route 1, its iconic pier is a beacon for the surf community. Modern surfing as we know it owes its roots to Hawaiian waterman Duke Kahanamoku, who introduced the sport to Southern California in the early … Read more

New design by Staki provides people with disabilities the joy of skiing

Ms. Eva has been struggling with multiple sclerosis (MS) for nearly thirty years. It primarily affects the mobility in her right leg. Although her diagnosis is overwhelming, she has been trying to devote herself to sports in her spare time just like she used to a long time ago. A special model of downhill skis … Read more

Blake Leeper — Medal Winning Sprinter Chasing Down His Dreams

The first time ABILITY spoke with Blake Leeper the multi-medaled Paralympian blade runner and world record holder who was striving to become the world’s fastest man, was early 2016. Since then Leeper has experienced setbacks and challenges yet remains determined to compete. ABILITY’s George Kaplan reconnected with Leeper to catch up on his new aspirations … Read more

Christoph Glötzner, the Young German Paralympian, Racing Towards Gold!

60, 59, 58 – Christoph Glötzner can see the countdown ticking down on the large black clock right in front of him. 57, 56, 55. He’s wearing a yellow and black suit and holds ski poles in each hand with mini skis attached at their ends. The athlete in front of him had just started … Read more

Athlete Brenna Huckaby Talks Gold Medals, Cancer, and the Paralympics. 

Three-time gold-winning Paralympian Brenna Huckaby went from surviving bone cancer to becoming a world class snowboarder. Huckaby, classified as SB-LL1 snowboarder, found her category phased out from the 2022 Winter Paralympics and took action. In January, she won a court ruling against the International Paralympic Committee, allowing her to compete in SB-LL2 events where she … Read more

Ashley Fiolek — I Had an Electrifying Time

Moto fans! Is everyone as excited as I am for the outdoor motocross races to be starting? My Saturdays are filled with watching races again….yay! I have been a little busy I went out to San Diego and participated in the Ride Cake International race at the Del Mar Arena. They make super cool electric … Read more

Paralympics — A Leg Up on the Competition

Circa 2011 It also became clear several of the US sprinters had been doing some hard work. This was most evident in the cases of Tatyana McFadden and Jerome Singleton. McFadden dominated the running events, winning four gold medals and a bronze, while Singleton came back to the United States as the fastest amputee in … Read more

Still Swinging — An Inside Look at Adaptive Golf

Circa 2011 Not everyone plays golf quite the same way. Tiger Woods swings a club differently than Jack Nicklaus, and Jack Nicklaus’s game is nothing like Arnold Palmer’s. Golfers with disabilities add their own twist to the sport: They use adaptive equipment that allows them to participate on the same courses, while following the same … Read more

Major League Baseball — Playing With A Disability

Circa 2009 Many athletes with disabilities have succeeded on the professional playing field. Probably in no other professional sport is this truer than in Major League Baseball. Few fans are aware of the number of these players who have succeeded in the majors. This may be because of the athletes themselves, who either downplayed or … Read more

Paralympics wins with Panasonic Robots

2020 is a year we couldn’t forget no matter how hard we tried. Covid-19 took over the world in the blink of an eye, putting everyone’s plans on hold, and causing every soul to hold their breath, waiting to exhale into what we would hope to be normality and familiarity of the world we used … Read more

240 athletes join the Tokyo Paralympics as Team USA

The pandemic has caused extensive disruptions in most people’s lives. For athletes with disabilities, who worked hard to be prepared to compete in the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, COVID interrupted their careers, and their incredible athletic efforts weren’t acknowledged and celebrated. However, finally, after more than a year-long wait, the 240-member 2020 U.S. Paralympic Team, … Read more

Mallory Weggemann — Paralympic Athlete, Producer, Author

2021 was supposed to be an off-year for Mallory Weggemann. She should have recently competed in her third Paralympic Games. She should have been focusing her time on family. She should have been planning for having children. And she should have had some extra time to promote her newly released memoir, Limitless: The Power of … Read more

NBCUniversal announces unprecedented programming of Paralympic Games 

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are the most important events for high-class athletes all around the globe. They train for years to compete for their countries and win a medal. Olympics, Paralympics – both showcase the world’s elite athletes. There really isn’t much of a difference. However, historically, media coverage of the Paralympics has … Read more

Athletes with disabilities competing at the IRONMAN: successes, failures, inclusion and accessibility

The IRONMAN triathlons are among the most physically and mentally demanding endurance challenges on the planet. Athletes from every corner of the world compete: many fail, others succeed. ABILITY Magazine spoke with Tricia Downing, Roderick Sewell, Minda Dentler and Carlos Moleda about their athletic achievements as paratriathletes. Additionally, Bob Babbitt, founder of the Challenged Athletes … Read more

Joe Pantoliano, aka Joey Pants

Jun/Jul 2012 ABILITY’s Chet Cooper met up with Joe Pantoliano, aka Joey Pants, at a Belgian restaurant in New York City recently. The popular character actor has appeared in such films as Risky Business, The Fugitive and The Matrix. His skill at playing scumbag mobster Ralph Cifaretto on the hit HBO series The Sopranos won … Read more