glo Girl: Maggie Peters

glo GIRL

MAGGIE PETERS

Age 16

By Stacie Ball | Photo by Mollie Shutt

High school student Maggie Peters knows positive thinking, passion and hard work are the seeds that must be planted to reap great rewards. Her efforts made it possible for her to receive the great honor of representing the USA in the 2020 Paralympic Swimming World Series in the 100m Freestyle, 100m Breaststroke, 50m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly.

Disabled-world.com defined the Paralympics as “a multi-sport event for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities.” The Paralympics occur every four years after the Olympics, in the same location, and have become one of the most popular sporting events in the world.

Peters started out as a cheerleader, but after thoughtful consideration around a campfire on a camping trip, she realized her heart was being set aflame for swimming. Soon after the camping trip, Peters signed up for swim club at Summit City Aquatics, and quickly found herself right at home in the water. Her coach, Stephanie, and her friend, Cali, helped her prepare for her very first adaptive sports meet, Turnstone’s First Endeavor Games.

Following the Endeavor Games, Peters began to try other sports. In the fall, she competed in the Paratriathlon through a Chicago organization called Dare2tri. In the winter, she was doing three sports at Turnstone in addition to her swim club. Soon, she was realizing her dreams of swimming in the Paralympic Nationals for three years.

“To make the Paralympic team is a huge process,” Peters explained, “You have to make certain time standards, compete at events, and get asked to represent the US in the Paralympics.” And that’s just to make the USA team. To make the actual games, there are many other steps involved, such as completing paperwork, obtaining a passport, updating classification status, and making the actual games time standards.

Unfortunately, the 2020 Paralympics have been postponed, but Peters still carries a torch for competing in many different sports. In addition to swimming, she also found a love for Track and Field. She enjoys participating in recreational programs like goalball and rowing. As mentioned above, she competes in a paratriathlon consisting of swimming, cycling and running. But how can she accomplish all this when she can’t even run for 20 minutes? She had simple and wise advice that can apply to almost any situation.

“A positive outlook is always helpful,” Peters insisted, “It makes you clear-headed and calm.”

Even though the 2020 Paralympics were postponed, Peters has not given up hope. In five years, she anticipates attending college somewhere and either getting ready to compete or having already competed in the Paralympic Games. After seeing all that she has accomplished in 16 years, it’s exciting to see what she will tackle in the future. a

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