In today’s episode of This Hits Different, Shelby Cassesse tells the story of North Catholic senior Alex Brown, who paced a path to inclusion for disabled student-athletes in Pennsylvania.
Have an idea for This Hits Different? Let us know here.
Alex Brown isn't a big participation trophy guy.
“I do it to win, and I really mean that,” he says.
That motivation permeates every part of his life. It shows in the way he plays sled hockey and competes in track and field.
It shows in his recent battle to make school sports more inclusive.
And it shows in his journey to recovery.
“Over the last 13 and a half years, I've been battling back, trying to get every bit of control that I can throughout my body,” he says. “We still believe, my family and I, that one day I'm going to fully recover.
When Alex was four years old, he suffered a spontaneous hematoma on his spinal cord, and just a few days later had a spinal cord stroke. He has been in a wheelchair ever since.
“In the meantime, we found ways for me to stay active in sports throughout the area,” he adds.
Sports have played a major role in his story, especially track and field, which provides an opportunity for young athletes with disabilities that not many other sports provide.
“It's so cool to be a part of a team with your classmates, and it's the only way that for us athletes with physical disabilities, they were able to do so,” he says.
But for the longest time, something was missing. While Alex and athletes like him could compete in track and field, their results weren't recognized by the PIAA.
That meant he couldn't compete in district and state meets, and his results didn't contribute to his team's overall score.
“Really, my times didn't matter in a way, so I was really going for the participation trophy,” he says.
Alex new that had to change, and he had to be the one to lead the charge.
“The desire for everyone, no matter their disability, for them to be able to participate in a meaningful way within the state of Pennsylvania,” he says of his goals. “And to be able to do it for their school and with their friends, because that is something that's been the driving force for me.”
Like everything else in his life, he gave it everything he had, challenging the status quo in a way nobody could ignore.
He sued the PIAA asking for equal opportunity for athletes who use wheelchairs. Essentially advocating that their scores count on the state's biggest stages.
“The reason why we did this lawsuit in the first place about a couple of years ago, to really fight for the change, was for the people to come and that's what that's really about,” he says.
The PIAA heard him loud and clear, and passed an adaptive athlete policy that went into effect this past track and field season.
Alex competed in the district meet with the rest of his team, walking away with several medals in the 200 and shot put.
But it's not the individual accolades that will stand out most. It will be the change made to benefit every adaptive athlete that follows.
“That you're able to improve past your limitations, what people tell you you're limited to,” he says. “You can't put a limit on God's power. And that's what drives me.”