Molly – What role has adaptive sports played in your life?

Before I got hurt, I ran cross-country and played soccer at my high school.  And then after I got hurt, my cross-country team raised money to buy me a hand bike.  So, what I ended up doing was hand biking during the practices while my teammates were running.   And I would usually do the same work outs, just on the bike, and a lot slower.  And that was a great thing for me.  I think most people experience adaptive sports through a disabled population, so my experience was a little bit different, because I was doing adaptive sports with an able-bodied team. But, it was awesome.  That was one of the most important things for me after my injury.  Especially just because my coach was great.  He treated me like every other athlete, which was exactly what I wanted.  He was never easy on me, he was always proud of me when I did well like the other teammates.  I didn’t have meets, so he would set up time trials and goals like that for me. But, I mean, he would yell at me just as much as everyone else.  I remember one time in practice, we were doing sets and I came through a time that was over what I was supposed to be in.  And he shakes his head, and is like, “Come on Fausone, pick it up.”  And he just looks at me like I’m this disappointment.  It was great to just feel like I was treated like everybody else, that’s what I wanted.  It was good to have someone that was just as hard on me as he was on the other girls.