Story by Emma Cooke
Photo by Cameron Thomas
BALLASIOTES NAT: I THINK I GOT STUCK OVER THAT. LIKE, I JUST LEGIT DON’T THINK MY BIKE CAN FIT OVER THAT.
Every week, Michelle Ballasiotes rides her bike on the trails at Lake Crabtree.
BALLASIOTES NAT: ORIGINALLY I HAD JUST ONE BRAKE ON THE LEFT SIDE BECAUSE MY RIGHT SIDE IS AFFECTED BY CEREBRAL PALSY…
Her bike doesn’t look like everyone else’s.
Her recumbent trike features a reclined seat, handles on either side of the hips that brake and steer, and a foot blocker that prevents her right foot from turning in or from falling off the pedal.
BALLASIOTES NAT: I HAVE A MOUNTAIN BIKE TIRE ON THE REAR AND IT’S A PRETTY BIG WHEEL. I GOT A BIKE THAT GOES FAST BECAUSE I LIKE TO GO FAST.
Ballasiotes had a pediatric stroke before she was even born. As a result, she has right hemiplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that affects the strength and function of her right side.
Ballasiotes says she grew up doing able-bodied sports like soccer, ballet, and softball…until the sports grew more competitive. She says she was slower than the rest of the kids.
Her mother, Mary Kay Ballasiotes, says her disability made it harder to participate.
MARY KAY BALLASIOTES: SHE KEPT GETTING BLISTERS BECAUSE OF HER A-F-O’S THAT SHE WAS WEARING. SO THAT REALLY DIDN’T WORK OUT. SHE DID SOFTBALL AND HER DAD TRIED TO RIG HER MITT SO SHE DIDN’T HAVE TO TAKE OFF THE MITT AND PUT IT BACK ON.
But she says things changed for Ballasiotes when she found an adapted cycling program as an undergrad at U-N-C. When she couldn’t balance on a two-wheeled bike, she got a recumbent trike through a Challenged Athletes Foundation grant.
MARY KAY BALLASIOTES: IT WAS JUST LIKE THIS WHOLE WORLD OPENED UP TO HER, WHERE SHE WAS FREE.
Adapted sports have allowed Ballasiotes to participate without her disability being a barrier.
BALLASIOTES NAT: I TALKED ABOUT THE ASCENDER HELPING ME PULL THE ROPE BECAUSE MY RIGHT GRIP STRENGTH IS WEAKER…
Now, Ballasiotes enjoys a variety of sports, like cycling, pickleball, and rock climbing.
BALLASIOTES NAT: SO, I’LL SHOW YOU HOW I CAN BELAY SO I GET TIRED LESS QUICKLY.
A pediatric occupational therapist and board member for North Carolina Adapted Sports, NCAS, Ballasiotes wants to help kids participate in sports in their own way.
BALLASIOTES: BECAUSE IT BREAKS MY HEART TO SEE KIDS WHO HAVE PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS AND THEY’RE JUST LIKE “YEAH NO I DIDN’T DO THAT BECAUSE I CAN’T.” I WANNA BE LIKE, NO. LET’S FIGURE THIS OUT.
Her cycle coach and fellow NCAS board member, Stephen Knight, says she’s been at the forefront of this change in the state.
He says that Ballasiotes was one of two adaptive cyclists in a cyclocross race last year.
KNIGHT: YOU KNOW, IT WAS THE SAME COURSE THAT EVERYONE ELSE WAS DOING, AND…EXCEPT FOR WE BYPASSED THE BARRIERS AND A FEW PLACES WERE THE TURNS WERE JUST…YOU KNOW, THEY’RE PRETTY TIGHT.
In the end, Ballsiotes had to race a longer distance than her opponents.
The race generated enthusiasm for modifying the loop at Lake Crabtree in Morrisville. Completed in August, the existing trails were widened and new bridges were built to be more accessible.
Ballasiotes hopes to compete even more in the future, but wants physically disabled athletes to be recognized in official adapted categories.
BALLASIOTES: WE MIGHT FASTER OR AS FAST AS SOME ABLE-BODIED PEOPLE, BUT WE’RE ON A DIFFERENT MACHINE THAN THE REST OF THE PEOPLE.
She says adaptive athletes should be recognized as more than random participants who won’t end up on the podium. They’re athletic, with technique and skills too.
BALLASIOTES NAT: BUT I’M MAKING DO WITH WHAT I GOT AND…ZOOM ZOOM.
I’m Emma Cooke, reporting.
