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| ASU Track and Field Stadium, Arizona |
In May of this year I was in Phoenix, Arizona for the Desert Challenge Games. It is the only World Para Athletics Grand Prix in the United States, which makes it one of the best places to qualify for other events. I achieved some of my best times of the season there, so all of the training in California and changes to my seat paid off. I qualified for US Nationals! It also gave me the chance to touch base with the athletes that I met in California, most of whom were there.
While in Arizona, we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with our cousins who hosted us for the week. Besides the competition, we also took the time to see the Grand Canyon.
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| Drake Stadium, UCLA |
The first weekend of June, Dad and I traveled to Los Angeles, California for US Nationals, the highest level of athletic competition I had been in so far. Athletes were competing for a chance to go to either the London World Championships or the Junior World Championships in Switzerland. US Nationals was run as a time trials. I was not able to make either team. Although I'm disappointed, I think it was okay. I knew that there were three girls I had to beat if I wanted to make the team. Those three girls went to Switzerland because they were just flat-out faster than me. There was no “Oh, had I just pushed a little harder,” or “If this hadn't gone wrong, I would have passed them.”
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| Lizzy Becker and me |
Visiting Los Angeles, California was pretty cool. Dad and I got a chance to drive down Sunset Boulevard and Rodeo Drive and see the Hollywood sign. We enjoyed experiencing a track meet with just the two of us. Although it was okay, I missed having everyone else with me. I met up with athletes I had met along the way and made new friends. One of these friends was Lizzy Becker, a friend from summer camp. It was encouraging to talk with her and her family about the ministry side of wheelchair racing as well as the sport side.
