by Delmace Mayo

I first started doing sports with Adaptive Sports New England when I was about 9 years old. I was interested in wheelchair racing and basketball mostly but I also did some swimming lessons with them.  The program was kind of small then, and I really wanted to compete in basketball and track so eventually I had to go to another program with more kids. But Adaptive Sports New England was always there in the background – helping me with equipment and advice, arranging some track coaching for me during Covid when I couldn’t go to my other team, and later supporting me in high school when I wanted to compete in track for Boston Public Schools.

During that time, the program grew and attracted more kids. It started to become that program that I was looking for when I was 9 years old. So when I was offered the opportunity to help out with the growing wheelchair track program while I was in high school, I eagerly accepted. At first, I found it challenging to get the kids to listen and pay attention to the skills the coaches were trying to teach, but I remembered that I was probably the same way when I was younger. I’ve now been coaching in the wheelchair track program for about 3 years, and this winter I also started coaching wheelchair basketball.  It’s been amazing to see the development of these kids.  In track, kids who couldn’t even push 100M are now doing 800M – and some of them are even competing in 1 mile events.  I think that I can get them to try stuff because they look up to me – the way I looked up to all my coaches and mentors when I was younger, and that’s a pretty cool feeling. 

I’m still doing my own training, and trying to make a name for myself in the wheelchair road racing world. I just finished my second Boston Marathon and I beat my time from last year by 13 minutes. I’ve got several other marathons (and half marathons) lined up for the fall including my first NYC Marathon, which I’m really excited for.  But the other really rewarding thing for me this spring has been mentoring a 10th grade student in Boston Public Schools who is just getting started in wheelchair track. I go to his school track practices with him a few times a week, and help him with skills and technique. I also help him with how to navigate competing in events when you are the only one in a wheelchair – because that’s one thing that I really wish I’d had when I was competing in high school.