Paralympic competition has been the goal of well-known Coronado resident Stefan Freeman, a man with a “can do” attitude, who was paralyzed in an accident at the age of 24. You might say an Olympic dream was destined, since his mom was a Ski Racer for West Germany in the 1960 Olympics.
Freeman’s goal of becoming a Paralympian began back in the early 2000s, when he was living in Orange County and he began to swim seriously with the goal to qualify for the 2012 Paralympics in London. Disappointment came when he went to the National Championships and was placed in a different classification, causing him to race against athletes who were disabled, but could walk, thus giving them a greater advantage.
Rather than get discouraged, he went through the list of Paralympic sports and wondered what other sport he could master. He soon had the answer – Wheelchair Boccia. He immediately ordered a set of bocce balls, learned the rules, played with family, and in 2017 went to the US National Wheelchair Boccia competition.
“I was ambitious and entered in the single and pairs events, but quickly discovered I had archaic balls and didn’t have the best start,” Freeman remembers. That only fueled his desire to learn more about his new sport. “I enjoy competing, meeting new people, and travelling, although it would be nice if there were competitions on the West Coast,” he comments.
Boccia ball is similar to Bocce Ball and originated in the early 1980s, under the US Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association (USCPAA). It became a Paralympic sport in 1984 and gained popularity so that by 2008, it was played in more than 50 countries. It is especially popular in Europe, China, Canada, and Brazil. Freeman points out that the balls are made of leather with beads inside. He describes it as a hard sandbag inside the ball. The game is played on indoor wooden basketball courts.
Freeman met his Boccia ball partner Adam Burnett, who lives in Kansas, at the national competition in 2018 on an airport shuttle. “We clicked, developed a bond, and then formed a team, so we could compete together in the pairs competition,“ says Freeman.
Most teams are usually from the same city. Even though they live more than 1,000 miles apart, they have won gold three times at the Wheelchair Boccia US Nationals in the BC5 Pairs Division, with their most recent gold medal victory in early August of this year.
Freeman practices in the alley behind his house where he chalks out a court. Burnett practices in Kansas where there are many players. The two have a ritual to meet two days before the yearly US National Competition to practice and then compete. Next year’s competition will be in Alabama, and Freeman is sponsored by the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF).
They both also compete individually, and Freeman points out that Burnett is a gold medal singles Wheelchair Boccia US Champion as well. He feels that together they would be strong competitors on the international level, but unfortunately the Paralympic dream has been dashed for the moment, because the classification for spinal cord injury players was recently changed and neither of the duo meet the new requirements. They are trying to lobby for a change, so they can qualify for the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028.
Freeman, a proud member of the Optimist Club of Coronado, lives here with his wife Justine, who was born here, along with their two kids who attend Coronado schools. When he’s not practicing, Freeman can be found involved in his children’s activities or creating signs, stickers, license plate frames, hats, shirts, patches, and more items for his business Coronado Sign. He creates eye-catching custom signs of all sizes, made in a variety of materials, as well as a host of other quality products. Check his designs out on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy.
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