*WEB CONTINUATION: This article originally appeared in Volume 105 Issue 3 of our news magazine, Amplifier.

When paralympian Troy Davis, who competed at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany, won a bronze medal in the 4×100-meter relay met Finley Parker, freshman, he knew he had potential. That’s when Parker found his passion for track and field.

“[Davis] is really cool and has supported me so much, and I wanted to try a sport out and he was like my own personal coach,” Parker said.

As of now, Parker is the only athlete using a wheelchair on the entire track team. 

“I pretty much do the same thing as everyone else, just not things that involve kicking or jumping, more of just distance stuff,” Parker said. “Track and Field is probably the most easily inclusive sport out of all of them.” 

With a modified wheelchair designed for speed, Parker finds track and field to be the sport that levels the playing field, allowing him to compete without the physical barriers present in other sports. Parker focuses on special events to show his skills.

“The only events I can do personally in a wheelchair— until we change how the school system works— are the 100, 400, and 1500 meters,” Parker said.

Parker enhances his track performance using innovative gear designed to help him achieve his best while staying safe. 

“Because of my condition, which is causing me to break my bones easier, I do wear a helmet in case I fall back as well as gloves and a racing wheelchair,” Parker said.

Parker has type 4 Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as Bone Brittle Disease, a rare condition that affects fewer than 20,000 U.S. citizens a year. The condition can cause symptoms such as weak muscles, brittle teeth, and hearing loss, according to GB Health Watch. 

Parker’s condition also affects him off the track and in his everyday life.

“It’s kind of hard to equate everything that it does, but spatial awareness is definitely something I need to work on,” Parker said. “I need to constantly be aware of everything around me. I also deal with physical pain most of the time, not insane amounts, but when I have an injury, I really have to focus on not moving as much, but there are muscle spasms that come along with it which occur when I’m not moving for a long period of time which causes extreme pain.”

Despite the setbacks of his condition, Parker sees a positive aspect of using a wheelchair in his everyday life.

“We don’t have any people on our team with a wheelchair. Focus on the fact you’re not gonna be like everyone else, you are on your own journey, and you have to figure that out on your own. You’re gonna get to the point where you’re like everyone else, it’s a given fact if you just work on it,” Parker said.

Thinking about his journey, Parker knows what he’d tell someone going through similar challenges.

“Focus on accepting the fact that you’re not going to get better, it’s incurable,” Parker said. “You know you’re gonna suffer through some pain, your experience is gonna be similar to other people’s but it’s [also] going to be different.”