Maggie Frederick, a BlazeSports Alumnus, was born with spina bifida. From a young age, Maggie’s passion for athletics was clear, eventually leading her to BlazeSports once she was introduced to the organization at a meet and greet. After that initial meeting, Maggie was interested in learning more about Blaze and attended a BlazeSports summer camp. She made her way to becoming a BlazeSports athlete at age ten and continued through the program until she graduated from high school and headed to the University of Illinois.
Following her time at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Maggie faced the common challenge of finding employment for all college graduates, but found her way back to BlazeSports where she took an internship with the organization. The internship eventually led her to stay on full time and become the BlazeSports office manager.
Beyond the physical aspects of sports, BlazeSports has had a monumental impact on her personal growth. Blae provided the support to help her gain both self-confidence and independence.
“Working with BlazeSports taught me not only who I was as an athlete, but who I am as a person. They helped me gain independence and prepared me for the transition to college and beyond,” says Maggie.
Outside of learning who she is as an athlete, Blaze also taught her talents as a leader and coach. Through working with young athletes, she has learned the art of patience, and how to effectively communicate with the athletes and their families.
She is able to articulate her own personal experience to parents looking to get their children involved with BlazeSports.
“Definitely get your kids involved. It’s super important to be around others who look like you, especially when having a disability and Blaze provided me with the community I was missing elsewhere.”
Through BlazeSports, Maggie found her sense of belonging with a group of people who endured similar challenges as her, learning how to be a support system to those around her. Currently, Maggie works on the Sandy Springs Parks and Recreation team, and she is a member of the innagural Lady Ballers basketball team, BlazeSports first women only wheelchair basketball team.
