HELP US GET TO NATIONALS! DONATE HERE!

HELP US GET TO NATIONALS! DONATE HERE!

NYC PARA SPORTS ACADEMY

NYC Parasports Academy aims to establish itself as the very first team dedicated to multiple para sports in the vibrant city of New York. Our inaugural sport focus is wheelchair racing, and we are proud to have built an amazing and talented team in a remarkably short amount of time!

Meet The Coaches

  • A man with a backwards cap doing a wheelchair race on a running track.

    Coach Tony

    A two-time Paralympian and has raced all of the major marathons! He’s a full time art teacher at an elementary school and is passionate about painting. But his true love is racing and he’s found nothing more fulfilling than the past 1.5 years of coaching the next generation of wheelchair racers and other para athletes!

  • A young woman in a wheelchair smiling at an outdoor track meet, with a bridge and green trees in the background.

    Coach Arielle

    A university of Illinois alum - which is the college to be at for wheelchair racing. She’s competed at world championships, and done over 30 marathons, including all 6 majors! She’s been coaching wheelchair racing for 4 years and is involved in many other adaptive sports - including para climbing and scuba diving.

  • A woman wearing a navy blue athletic shirt with a coach badge, holding a clipboard, and laughing or shouting joyfully.

    Coach Mary Rose

    A special education teacher by day and wheelchair racing coach by night. She’s been coaching for 2 years and in the short time has helped kids bring home National medals.

  • A woman wearing glasses and a blue shirt with 'COACH' written on it, laughing with her mouth open, holding a clipboard and pen, standing behind a black barrier.

    Coach Kelsey

    A pediatric occupational therapist turned wheelchair racing coach thanks to her daughter, Lucy. When Lucy found herself without a coach Kelsey decided to go all in. She’s learned so much from her

Meet The Athletes

  • A young girl in a pink tracksuit and helmet sitting in a blue three-wheeled racing wheelchair on a grassy field at an outdoor track, with people and trees in the background.

    Karissa | 8 Years Old

    Get bio from parents

  • A young boy in a red helmet and black jacket riding a red handcycle on a track.

    Theo | 10 Years Old

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  • A young boy in a wheelchair, wearing a helmet and glasses, is sprinting on a track during a race, with trees and people watching in the background.

    Rishi | Age 12

    Get Bio from Parents

  • A young male athlete in a wheelchair racing on a track, wearing a helmet and sports attire, with a race number 266 attached to his wheelchair.

    Harry | Age 12

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  • A young woman in a wheelchair at a track, smiling with her arms raised, wearing a white helmet, pink jacket, and green leggings with a white pattern.

    Lucy | Age 14

    Get Bio From Parents

  • A woman in a yellow cycling jersey and helmet smiling, sitting in a racing wheelchair, holding a colorful medal, outdoors near trees and a metal barricade, with a water bottle in her hand.

    Yasmine

    Get Bio

  • A male athlete preparing on an outdoor running track, wearing a black tank top and shorts, with a sports stadium in the background.

    Tamiru

    A visually impaired  Paralympic athlete. He represented Ethiopia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and he won the silver medal in the men's 1500 m T13 event.

Meet The Staff

  • A woman wearing sunglasses and a hat smiling while holding a large fish she caught by a lake with a forested shoreline under a clear blue sky.

    Jasmine

    Chief Planning Officer

  • A woman smiling and pointing at a large sign that reads 'START' at the New York City Marathon expo.

    Alyssa

    Chief Strategy Officer

  • A smiling woman and man sitting on a blanket in a park during a sunny day, at a gathering with many people and trees in the background.

    Manasi & Rabi

    Medical Team

  • A man taking a selfie outdoors at a picnic table with a work setup, a gray SUV with open doors and packed luggage behind him, a laptop, water bottle, and sunglasses on the table; green trees and a clear blue sky in the background.

    Brendan

    Equipment Manager

  • A woman with dark hair, smiling, wearing a beige jacket over a white shirt, standing against a yellow background.

    Nike

    Team Mom

  • A man wearing glasses and a light-colored quilted jacket speaking into a black microphone during an event or presentation, with a purple and yellow background.

    Togar

    Team Photographer

  • A man smiling wearing a Bowser costume hood from Super Mario with a black and white polka dot bandana around his neck.

    Evan

    Siblings Activities Lead

  • A man wearing sunglasses and a brown t-shirt that says 'NYC PARA SPORTS ACADEMY' written on a piece of tape, sitting on a park bench with grass and a car in the background.

    Tom

    Development

Meet The Fans

  • Group of nine people standing outdoors by a railing with a city skyline and river in the background.

  • A family of five standing outside in front of a tall building with stone and brick architecture, holding hands, with autumn trees and an American flag in the background.

  • Family of four smiling for a photo in the Lincoln Memorial with the large seated statue of Abraham Lincoln in the background.

  • Group of five skiers standing on snow-covered ground on a mountain, wearing helmets and winter gear, with a scenic view of mountains and trees in the background.

  • A group of four people smiling on a rooftop at sunset, including a man, a woman, a young girl in a wheelchair, and a young child. They are posing happily with the city skyline in the background.

Social Media

Oh we do track alright
Still in shock all the boys will be doing at least THREE EVENTS at Nationals this year!!
Our girls ruled Tri-State! And let’s not forget all the moms!
NYC Para Sports Academy killed it at @ridgewoodrun 2025!
The NYC Para Sports Academy smashed it at Tri-State 2025! Nationals here we come! (Donate to help us get there - link in bio)
T-minus 1 day until Tri-state! Got some track time this morning to fine tune. Can’t wait to see everyone race tomorrow! Help us get to nationals by donating to our gofundme - link in bio 😍
T-minus 1 day until Tri-state! Got some track time this morning to fine tune. Can’t wait to see everyone race tomorrow! Help us get to nationals by donating to our gofundme - link in bio 😍
https://gofund.me/58d2e6c4
Help our kids get to Nationals in Grand Rapids, MI this year! We can’t wait to debut our hard working team - and two of our athletes! - this summer. And the kids who’ve been can’t wait to go back as returning champions! They promise
Help our kids get to Nationals in Grand Rapids, MI this year! We can’t wait to debut our hard working team - and two of our athletes! - this summer. And the kids who’ve been can’t wait to go back as returning champions! They promise to put in the effort and bring back the hardware and would love it if you could chip in a few dollars! Link in bio
“Whatever you do, you can’t win. So win.” (Waiting for our @nike sponsorship tbh)
“Whatever you do, you can’t win. So win.” (Waiting for our @nike sponsorship tbh)
Another rainy practice in the books - nothing stops us from putting in the miles! Featuring our equipment manager @bhounglee adjusting some chairs! We couldn’t do it without him 🔨🔧🪛🪚🧰🔩⚙️

Partnerships

JDJ Charitable Foundation has been a partner of NYC Para Sports Academy since our inception. JDJ and the team has provided each of our athletes with a custom racing wheelchair.

Contact Us