Chelsea Clark
DOB: December 1982
Nickname: Che
Sport: Wheelchair Racing
Please list accomplishments / highlights (including placing, location, dates, titles, awards, etc.):
Won 2 Gold Medals, 1 Gold medal in the 100m (and set a new World Record) and 1 Gold medal in the 200m, in 2004 in Athens, Greece at the Paralympic Games.
What do you like best about competing or playing sports?
You get to meet new people and it’s fun.
What sport do you play and how did you decide to do this sport?
I had gotten the idea from a friend of mine.
Who are your role models and why?
W. Mitchell because he sets a great example of being determined no matter what your disability may be. He emphasizes that just because you may be disabled, you still are a person and you still can live a normal life, despite the circumstances.
What are your goals for the future?
I am aiming to medal in Beijing but if I cannot, I want to share my experiences about my track career, by public speaking and get it around to people that having a disability does not limit your life in any way, shape or form. You can still live a normal life even though you are confined to a wheelchair or you need certain things to live your life. We are all the same regardless.
What else do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to study about the human anatomy and I hope one day to go back to school to get a degree in either massage therapy or kinesiology. My ultimate goal is that once my track career is over, to be back on the National Track Team, as a massage therapist or coach so that I can put my past experience to use.
What advice would you have for someone just starting in the sport that you are in?
Never give up no matter how tempting it may be. Never say "I can't" because it just isn't good enough for the sport that I am in. You need lots of determination and desire. This sport is not for the faint at heart. Don't slack off and expect to get away with it because in the long run you won't be hurting just yourself, you will be letting your teammates down as well, which is the ultimate loss.
What is your favorite Saying?
“It’s not what happens to you, its what you do about it" by W. Mitchell which says a lot about determination.
What are your hobbies and interests besides sports?
I love to horseback ride and use it for an ‘outlet’ outside my track career. My horse is like my other ‘pet’. He means so much to me that I wouldn’t trade him for the world. I’ve horseback ridden for 10 years and I love it!
