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Athletic News
Sydney Satchell ’10 talks with preseason athletes about the gold medal she won with her team at the Paralympics in Lima, Peru. Sydney is currently part of Walker’s Athletics Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, as we work to launch a new Hall of Fame to recognize athletic achievements in our community.
Alumna and Paralympic Gold Medalist Shares Her Story with Student-Athletes
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Sydney Satchell ’10, paralympic athlete for the U.S. women’s national sitting volleyball team, traveled back to Walker’s from Lima, Peru, with her gold medal in hand. Sydney met with Walker’s 2019 preseason athletes, where she passed around her gold medal to the girls while sharing her story. It was the perfect speech presented at the culmination of a busy three days of fall conditioning.
Nearly 100 students, faculty, and staff listened to Sydney share her experience as a tri-sport student-athlete at Walker’s before she headed off to Howard University to play Division I lacrosse.
In 2015, Sydney was in a car accident that changed the course of her life: her injuries resulted in a below-knee amputation necessitated by compartment syndrome. Sydney had always viewed herself as a lifelong athlete and though the accident may have altered her path, she was determined not to let it deter her from attaining her goals. In June of 2017, she moved to Oklahoma to train full time for the U.S. women’s national sitting volleyball team.
Sydney spoke about being bold and brave and shared that one of her lifelong coaches considered grit to be one of her best qualities. “That’s honestly something that can’t be learned,” said Sydney.
Sydney incorporated a lot of humor into her story, and she shared some advice with the student-athletes: “I’m reminding you that if you’re not picked to be captain or if you don’t start, you still play a role,” she said, noting that even if they don’t play in a single game, the work they put in at practice makes the whole team stronger. This work ultimately led her team to win gold, and Sydney celebrated the victory with her teammates because she played a part in her team’s success.
