A 15-year-old New Brunswick swimmer who was the youngest person to ever represent Canada at the Paralympic Games, is sharing her story with Moncton students with hopes of inspiring them.
Danielle Dorris, who was born with only a portion of her arms, competed in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games when she was just 13 years old.
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Danielle says even though she didn’t take home any hardware, the lessons she learned were life-changing.
“The para-world is very unknown, and I want to get it out there,” she said. “That is also one of the big reasons that I came here: to widen their knowledge on the para-community.”
Her words serve as inspiration for other para-athletes, like Carly Smith, who hopes to follow in her wake.
“She is an amazing athlete,” said Carly, “and I think that she can give a story to everyone and inspire everyone she talks to.”
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Carly competed at curling nationals back in April, while playing with her able-bodied teammates. She too was born with only a portion of her arm.
Carly is setting her sights on the Olympic Games, as the Paralympics only have wheelchair curling.
“I am so proud of her,” said Danielle. “She is my role model.”
Both girls hope to inspire both able-bodied athletes and those with different abilities to compete at the national level.
With a file from Shelley Steeves.