Training season has officially begun for some Hillsborough County student athletes. And what's unique about these athletes are the challenges they've overcome.
- Training season begins for Paralympic Sport Tampa athletes
- Student athletes took home gold at National Junior Championship
- Students overcome unique challenges
These athletes proved just how talented they are this summer after bringing home the gold at a National Junior Championship.
Some of them say what you may see as a hindrance, they use as motivation to push even harder.
"They work hard at their events, they want to be the best they can be and they really give a lot of time and effort to reach their potential," Andy Chasanoff said. "We came back with 33 medals and 9 national records."
The student athletes all have unique challenges that they've learned to work with.
"We work with athletes with spinabifida, cerebral palsy, amputees, visually impaired, and muscular dystrophy," Chasanoff.
Danielle Kanas, a 7th grader, is one of the Paralympic Sport Tampa Bay athletes and she's already won 15 gold medals.
"I run, I throw, I swim, I do long jump," Kanas said. "I'm very proud. It's a lot of hard work and it takes a lot of practice."
She said while she does face one particular challenge that many other athletes don't, it's not something she's willing to let hold her back.
"When people stare at my arm, or I'm sometimes judged and what I can and cannot do for my disability, but here I feel like all my challenges are gone away and all I have to worry about is getting better at what I do," she said.
Danielle's teammate, Logan Krepop, a veteran in the program and national record holder, said helping fellow athletes recognize their full potential is what it's all about.
"I love to see other kids with disabilities join and not know how to do things and later do it and overcome their disability," Krepop said.
The athletes train in track and field events, swimming, archery, table tennis, adaptive tennis, water skiing, and adaptive golf.