Andrew's Paralympic Table Tennis Journey
Donation protected
6.5%. That is the acceptance rate for applicants at Princeton University. That’s more than the chance of survival I was given at birth. At her 20-week ultrasound, my mother was informed that I had a type of dwarfism that would likely prove lethal within the first few days. The doctors also predicted that I would never walk and would have cognitive impairments.
Refusing to accept this prognosis without making an effort to improve it, my parents did everything they could to help me succeed. They took me to world-renown surgeons to try to allow me to walk. After several leg and spine surgeries, I was able to accomplish the improbable and begin walking.
In school, my mother worked with me every night to ensure my success. As a result of her hard work I was able to excel academically and gained admission to the Honors Neuroscience program at the Ohio State University upon graduation from high school.
Outside of school, I wanted to compete in a sport. Throughout my childhood, I tried out tennis, soccer, swimming, and other sports. None of them worked out long term due to limitations from my spine and leg surgeries. I eventually assumed I would have to be content to watch sports from the sidelines.
That all changed on Christmas of 2012, when my parents bought a ping pong table for my brother and I. I was immediately hooked, having found an outlet to try to compete against my brother and friends. I soon found the Columbus Table Tennis Club, where I was able to receive some coaching and begin to compete in local tournaments. After a couple of years, I had improved enough to win a couple of local tournaments.
At the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival I was approached by another player who advised me to learn more about the US Para Table Tennis team. What I found opened me up to a world of opportunity that I had never known about. Para Table Tennis is a sport in the Paralympics, with athletes competing in tournaments around the world each year. After competing at my first international tournament in 2016, I formed a goal of eventually qualifying to compete in the Paralympics, which happen every four years in conjunction with the Olympics.
In the past two years, I have competed at the US Para Open in Las Vegas as well as the Para Pan-American Cup in Costa Rica. After competing in these tournaments, I realized the rigor of training necessary to reach the Paralympics is much greater than can be offered in Ohio. Because of this I have decided to transfer to school in San Diego, where I will have access to high-level training. I am currently training with the goal of qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
As you can imagine, there are many costs associated with pursuing the goal of the Paralympics. The costs include:
-Training
-Tournament Entry Fees
-Hotels
-Flights to tournaments
I know that over the long term, these costs will be prohibitive for my parents to cover. Over the past year I have published a book and spoken at several schools with the goal of defraying these costs. I would also like to thank Harbor Yoga Studio, Dublin City Schools, and the many generous individual donors who have contributed to my dream.
If you find it in your heart to help me reach my goal of becoming a Paralympic athlete that represents the United States of America, thank you. If this means financial support, I am forever grateful. If however you cannot provide financial support, thank you for taking the time to read my story and wish me luck!
Thank you!
Andrew Schneider
Refusing to accept this prognosis without making an effort to improve it, my parents did everything they could to help me succeed. They took me to world-renown surgeons to try to allow me to walk. After several leg and spine surgeries, I was able to accomplish the improbable and begin walking.
In school, my mother worked with me every night to ensure my success. As a result of her hard work I was able to excel academically and gained admission to the Honors Neuroscience program at the Ohio State University upon graduation from high school.
Outside of school, I wanted to compete in a sport. Throughout my childhood, I tried out tennis, soccer, swimming, and other sports. None of them worked out long term due to limitations from my spine and leg surgeries. I eventually assumed I would have to be content to watch sports from the sidelines.
That all changed on Christmas of 2012, when my parents bought a ping pong table for my brother and I. I was immediately hooked, having found an outlet to try to compete against my brother and friends. I soon found the Columbus Table Tennis Club, where I was able to receive some coaching and begin to compete in local tournaments. After a couple of years, I had improved enough to win a couple of local tournaments.
At the 2016 Arnold Sports Festival I was approached by another player who advised me to learn more about the US Para Table Tennis team. What I found opened me up to a world of opportunity that I had never known about. Para Table Tennis is a sport in the Paralympics, with athletes competing in tournaments around the world each year. After competing at my first international tournament in 2016, I formed a goal of eventually qualifying to compete in the Paralympics, which happen every four years in conjunction with the Olympics.
In the past two years, I have competed at the US Para Open in Las Vegas as well as the Para Pan-American Cup in Costa Rica. After competing in these tournaments, I realized the rigor of training necessary to reach the Paralympics is much greater than can be offered in Ohio. Because of this I have decided to transfer to school in San Diego, where I will have access to high-level training. I am currently training with the goal of qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
As you can imagine, there are many costs associated with pursuing the goal of the Paralympics. The costs include:
-Training
-Tournament Entry Fees
-Hotels
-Flights to tournaments
I know that over the long term, these costs will be prohibitive for my parents to cover. Over the past year I have published a book and spoken at several schools with the goal of defraying these costs. I would also like to thank Harbor Yoga Studio, Dublin City Schools, and the many generous individual donors who have contributed to my dream.
If you find it in your heart to help me reach my goal of becoming a Paralympic athlete that represents the United States of America, thank you. If this means financial support, I am forever grateful. If however you cannot provide financial support, thank you for taking the time to read my story and wish me luck!
Thank you!
Andrew Schneider
Organizer
Andrew Schneider
Organizer
San Diego, CA
