We speak with the youngest member of the US Paralympic track and field team, Ezra Frech, who describes his motivation to qualify for Tokyo, training as a Paralympic athlete, and his work to grow adaptive athletics through Angel City Sports.
"An Olympic athlete...their body needs to feel good, but as far as equipment goes, they just need their spikes, and they're fine. I have to have multiple different parts different things, different hinges, equipment in case something goes wrong. I'm literally bringing a suitcase with me, filled with spare parts in case something breaks while in Tokyo."
Today's guest is Ezra Frech, the youngest athlete on the US Paralympic track and field team. Ezra was born missing his left knee and left fibula, and fingers on his left hand, yet with a relentless attitude he's qualified for the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 3 events, at just 16 years old!
Even though he’s only 16, he’s worked hard to become someone who thrives off of overcoming challenges. Throughout our conversation with Ezra you'll hear a sense of belief that what he’s doing is so much greater than just winning; that winning is a stepping stone towards so much more. He admits to having a vision of helping to bring adaptive sports to the forefront of the sports world and really believes he can have an impact. When you listen to him speak, we believe you will too!
Timestamped Show Notes
4:00 Preparation in the weeks leading up to Tokyo…
5:04 The ups and downs after trials and the technical challenges in the high jump…
8:33 Handling frustration…
11:16 “I love track. I'm obsessed with this sport, the complexity of it, the way the body has to intertwine with the technology to be the best athlete that you can be.”
13:07 Ezra’s unique disability…
15:24 A mind-body connection and added variables…
19:11 A gap and a need filled through Angel City Sports…
21:53 The pandemic and shifting goals…
25:02 “If the outcome is meant to be, it will happen.” And the one word that describes his mentality.
30:01 No stones unturned and optimizing all aspects…
31:58 “I would not be able to live with myself if I didn't fully optimize everything leading into Tokyo and leading into these big competitions.”
36:18 “The way I will approach Tokyo is this is my moment, take it all in, this is it. This is my moment in history right here. This is what it's about. And with that type of mentality, I will be very focused.”
41:03 Advocating for adaptive sports through Angel City Sports…
44:29 A piece of advice for other athletes…
References
Ezra on The Ellen Show in 2014 - YouTube
Angel City Sports - homepage
Clayton Frech interview (Ezra's father, founder of Angel City Sports) - Go Be More podcast
Guest
Ezra Frech - Instagram | Twitter
Hosts:
Jon Rankin - gobemore.co | @chasejonrankin
Bryan Green - maketheleapbook.com | @maketheleapbook
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