This week falls exactly between the conclusion of the 2024 Paris Olympiad and the start of the 2024 Paris Paralympics, which kick off August 28th. We at the NODCC felt it was the perfect week to share a conversation we recently had with 19-year-old Maryland resident, competitive para swimmer, and 2028 Olympic hopeful Abby Kershaw, and her mother Mary.
Abby was diagnosed with ACC in utero, and her parents Mary and Dale Kershaw, who adopted Abby when she was a baby, call her their “miracle girl”. When she was young, Mary and Dale encouraged Abby to try different athletic activities such as team sports, ballet, and running, but swimming seemed to be the activity Abby gravitated toward and excelled at. Abby began learning swim techniques from a young age, but the desire to swim in a competition setting was built slowly over time, and she felt ready to enter her first competition at the age of 12. In spite of her intellectual challenges and neurodiversity, Abby has harnessed her goals and has made her mark as a competitive para swimmer in the US and even across the world. This year, seven years after that first competition, Abby and her relay swim team achieved a 2024 American Para Swimming Record and are currently considered the fifth fastest relay team in the world.
Abby’s mother Mary shared that when she was little, teachers told Abby she’d never be able to write and that she’d need to use a typewriter. They said she’d never be able to do math, and that she’d need to use a calculator. They told her parents she would have a very hard time walking, and that she’d likely never ride a bike. Abby has blown past these expectations over and over again. During Covid while the family was stuck at home, Abby’s mom suggested she try once more to ride a bike, despite previous attempts resulting in a lack of balance and occasional scrapes. Now, not only is Abby proficient at riding her bike, but she has completed multiple triathlons in solidarity with a good friend of hers who has Down syndrome.
In November 2023, Abby traveled to Santiago, Chile for the Parapan American Games, as one of just 33 athletes representing the United States. The very next month in December 2023, Abby competed in her first U.S. Para Nationals in Greensboro, North Carolina. She made it to the finals in nearly every race, even placing third in the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 2:37.82.
When asked what she might say to any NODCC community member considering starting a new sport, Abby states, “Joining a sport keeps you healthy and allows you to meet new friends. Never give up on anything. Keep trying until you can! Set short goals AND long goals.” Abby’s personal long-term goals are making it to the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles. As for short-term goals, it’s as simple as what she just heard from her coach this week: “Kick harder and drop time.”
When not kicking harder and dropping time in the pool, Abby enjoys reading books, and even started a book club with a fellow swim friend, in which they’re currently reading Katie Ledecky’s biography, “Just Add Water”. She also enjoys shopping, hanging out with her friends, painting, and drawing. She loves spending quality time with her dog, Frodo, and her bird, Pickles. Abby and her family have been connected with the NODCC since 2022. If the 2024 conference in Chicago had not interfered with an important swim meet, they would have been part of the conference festivities in Chicago. They’re hoping to attend the 2026 NODCC conference but if you don’t meet Abby and her family in person in 2026, keep your eyes peeled during the 2028 Paralympics, where you might see Abby tearing through the water with gold in her sights!
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