Northwest Ohio athletes putting on a show in seated track and field
Jun. 12—Seated athletes face obstacles like no other competitors, and northwest Ohio features a trio of high school adaptive athletes who reached the pinnacle of the sport together.
Otsego senior Abby Gase, Anthony Wayne senior Aiden Green, and Elmwood junior Jaydon Jenkins earned state titles at the Ohio track and field meet at Hilliard Darby High School on June 6.
"A lot of disabled athletes don't necessarily have other disabled athletes around them, competing with them. So being able to have that ... helps you succeed as an athlete," said Gase, who won the state title in the shot put with a toss of 18 feet, 8 3/4 inches. "It was definitely cool."
Jenkins was a double winner, claiming state titles in the 400 meters (58.31 seconds) and 800 (2:03.40). Jenkins also was second in the shot put (19 feet, 3 1/2 inches) and third in the 100 (18.19).
"We represented the area well," Jenkins said.
The only obstacle in the way of a sweep for Jenkins was his rival, Green. The AW senior won the 100 with a time of 18.08 seconds. Green also was second in the seated 800 (2:05.29), and took third in the seated 400 (59.91).
"It was cool to see northwest Ohio take home all those medals," Green said. "It's a good way to put on a show in the seated events."
Gase and Jenkins were diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder that damages nerve cells and can cause paralysis. Green has a muscle disorder called arthrogryposis, a rare condition that involves muscle weakness found at birth.
"The seated athletes up here in northwest Ohio have a lot of support," Gase said. "I know a lot of people from Otsego went down to watch me. But they were also cheering on Jaydon. It's a great area here in northwest Ohio. Being able to represent that at state was awesome."
Jenkins and Green play on the same sled hockey team and have been friends for many years.
"We are very competitive, and we just like to push each other and help each other get better at the sports we play," Jenkins said.
Green and Jenkins described the relationship as a friendly rivalry.
"He got me in the 100," Jenkins said. "I guess he's just better at the sprints."
Green countered: "It was nice to make sure he didn't get all three."
Gase and Jenkins compete in the Northern Buckeye Conference.
"Jaydon has the same condition I have. And I got to see him race throughout the year," Gase said. "To see each other thrive in our events has been really cool."
Gase said he did not know that someone with the same rare condition lived just 30 miles away.
"Jaydon and I met at a camp in Kentucky when I was in the fifth grade. We didn't know each other before that," Gase said. "It was just by chance, coincidence. We connected because my mom saw his brother had an Elmwood shirt on and she asked if they were from Elmwood, Ohio."
The Ohio High School Athletic Association began sanctioning eight seated events at the state track and field meet in 2013.
This year, 12 male competitors from 12 schools competed in the seated division. In the female seated division, 10 athletes from nine schools competed. The trio of northwest Ohio athletes won four of the eight seated titles.
Gase makes her case
Gase, whose top sport is swimming, is a decorated Paralympic athlete. In 2019 at the Parapan American Games in Peru, Gase won gold in the 100-meter backstroke and silver in the 400-freestyle relay.
Gase became a vocal proponent for the addition of swimming as an officially sanctioned sport by the OHSAA. At the beginning of her sophomore year, she began her campaign by sending emails to the OHSAA.
The state organization added adaptive swimming with 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke events at the 2021 state meet. Gase earned a third-place finish and took fifth in the 50-yard freestyle.
"Getting it into the state meet was pretty difficult. I know it can take years to happen. It's really cool that it actually ended up happening when I was still in high school," Gase said. "I was able to be part of the state meet, and that was really cool. All of the able-bodied athletes were very supportive, watching us swim. It was really exciting to see that we could add those heats for adaptive athletes into the state meet. We can now compete against the best in the state."
As a sophomore at the state track and field meet, Gase earned runner-up honors in the shot put with a throw of 15-11.
"This is my senior year, so obviously after missing last year [due to the coronavirus], I'm just thankful that I had the opportunity to compete," Gase said. "But it was also my last chance to go out and win the title and perform my best."
Gase said she had been consistently throwing around 17-9 and knew surpassing 18 feet was possible.
"I wanted to hit 18 and PR," Gase said.
Gase had four attempts and on her first throw, she earned the state title.
"I PR'd by almost five inches," Gase said. "I was the last thrower. So, at that point, I knew I had won. That was really exciting. It was really cool. My whole goal throughout high school track was to win the state championship in the seated shot put. Being able to reach that goal in the last meet of my career was really exciting."
Gase, who has been involved in farming and 4H her entire life, will be attending Cornell University where she will major in food science. She also hopes to continue to compete in swimming.
Gase is following a path blazed by fellow Otsego adaptive athlete A.J. Digby, a sprinter who uses running blades to compete and won a bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2017.
"I've always looked up to A.J.," Gase said. "He was one of the other few adaptive athletes in the area. We went to the same school. Having another disabled athlete around helped me hear about more experiences and opportunities that are out there for us."
Digby said the praise means a lot to him.
"I have seen them all grow up as athletes and as wonderful human beings," Digby said. "I did not set out to be a mentor, I just wanted to be a good friend, which was very easy with their personalities."
Gase said she now has young disabled athletes look up to her.
"I've had people contact me through social media and other people look up to me and see that you can do anything," Gase said. "You just have to work hard at it."
Jenkins jets to title
Jenkins, who also wrestles and plays sled hockey, competed in all four seated events, the 100, 400, 800, and shot put, at the state meet. He placed in all four.
"It was such a great atmosphere. There were a lot of people there. I just wanted to mainly defend my state championships," he said. "The 800 is right after the 400, so there isn't much recovery time."
He said the 400 went better than expected.
"I PR'd by over a second," Jenkins said. "It really shows that if you work hard for it, you can achieve it."
Jenkins said the significance of the accomplishments hit home at the podium ceremony.
"It's crazy because everyone is looking at you when they announce your name when they say you are the state champ," Jenkins said.
Jenkins gave enormous credit to his coach, Kyle Prenger, an assistant at Elmwood and seated coach.
"I wouldn't be the athlete I am if it wasn't for him," Jenkins said.
Jenkins said he will be training for road races this summer, and plans to attend sled hockey camps.
"I just want to keep pushing myself and keep getting better," he said.
Jenkins played on the same hockey teams as Digby.
"He's definitely one of my idols," Jenkins said. "We've followed A.J.'s story and we've loved to see how well he is doing at Mount Union. Our parents are very close. To see him making the national team for track was cool."
Digby said the development of disabled athletics in northwest Ohio is uplifting.
"From feeling like one of the only young disabled people in northwest Ohio, to seeing the first seated meets ever, to now seeing them win state championships and even competing in some other meets that include wheelchair events is a fantastic turnaround," Digby said.
Green gets green light
Before he could celebrate his victory in the 100, Green was on pins and needles. The race came down to a trio of athletes who reached the line nearly simultaneously. Green (18.073), Carrollton senior Jacob Baker (18.078), and Jenkins (18.19) crossed in a photo finish. It took more than five minutes to determine the winner.
"At first, there was a lot of confusion," Green said. "I didn't know if I won. It was separated by one 5,000th of a second. I thought it could go either way. I didn't know I had won until I was heading up to the podium. It felt like it took a long time. It was a big sense of relief, knowing I was going to go out with a state title. It was a really good feeling."
Green said the previous experience at state helped him.
"It was nice to have already been there, you know what to expect," he said. "This year the mindset was to win and get the state record."
Green was a 10th of a second off breaking the state record when he crossed first in the preliminaries in 16.77.
"That was my PR, the day before," he said.
The next day for the finals, it was a bit windier, and that played a role in the slower times.
"A lot of it was nerves going into the finals knowing [the top three racers] were all right there," he said.
Green said he and Jenkins talk a lot about sports. He said his first love is sled hockey.
"My dad is a big hockey fan. We went to a Walleye game a while ago and I really fell in love with it," he said.
Green and Jenkins played with Digby on the Columbus Blue Jackets sled hockey team. Green is a defenseman and Jenkins is a center in sled hockey.
"A.J. has been really supportive. He's a big part of me getting into hockey," Green said.
Green said sports have provided a big outlet.
"Growing up, I never thought sports were going to be a possibility," Green said. "Then I found sled hockey and then track. It's become a huge part of my life."
