When Steve Serio started playing wheelchair basketball at age 14, he did it for the love of the game, he didn’t even know that the Paralympics existed. He discovered the sport through his physical therapist, and while he was initially hesitant to pick it up, after that first practice playing with people in similar situation to him, he felt like it was where he belonged. Flash forward to now, and Serio is a five-time paralypian with Team USA with two gold medals and one bronze medal heading into the Paris games. Despite his competitive success, he says the impact he can make off the court is far more important, which is why he’s worked with nonprofits who help remove financial burdens associated with being an adaptive sports athlete. Press play on the video below to learn more about Serio’s story.
These Paralympic athletes are showing how to make the impossible possible
Steve Serio and Melissa Stockwell are giving back to the next generation of adaptive sports athletes.
Melissa Stockwell lost her left leg in 2004 while serving in the military in Iraq, and it was while being treated at Walter Reed Medical Center that she first learned about the Paralympics and she knew immediately that she wanted to find a way to be part of it. Stockwell was attracted to the idea that she would again get to wear a uniform representing and competing for her country, just as she had defended it while in the military. She first competed as a swimmer at the 2008 Beijing Games, but then turned to the sport of triathlon, qualifying for the Paralympics in 2016 (where she won bronze), 2021, and 2024. As an elite athlete and a mom, Stockwell wants to show her two kids that she’s doing what she loves, and she takes pride in bringing others to the sport through her nonprofit, Dare2tri paratriathlon club. Press play on the video below to hear more of Stockwell’s story.