Jian Jackson

I discovered adaptive sports in 2017 at the Lakeshore Foundation where I attended a summer camp. Wheelchair basketball was my favorite activity I tried at camp, and I started playing on the Prep Team that year when I was 12 years old. In 2019 I moved up to the Varsity Team and joined the Lakeshore Women's wheelchair basketball team as well. I was very good at pushing fast in basketball, and my coaches encouraged me to also try Track. I have now practiced and competed some in Track and Field for 2 summers, as I can with my schedule. I plan to try to get my own track chair made to fit me so that training and competing will be more comfortable. I am constantly working to improve my basketball skills.

Playing adaptive sports allows me to compete against good players from all over the country. I have the opportunity to participate in sports, just like able bodied people can do. This helps me to not feel left out of sports.

If someone is thinking of trying adaptive sports, I would tell them that sports is very fun, and if you like moving at a fast pace or learning new skills, you will like it. It allows you to work on skills, and with lots of time, practice and determination you can make big improvements. If you are a competitive person, you will like to compete in adaptive sports.

My long term goals are to get better at all of the things that I enjoy. In basketball, I want to get even better at speed, ball handling, passing and shooting. I want to improve in every area of basketball so that I can compete against the best on Team USA. I want to play in college and become a vet so that I can help animals. I always want to be better tomorrow than I was today.