Kaitlyn Eaton

Started: She began wheelchair basketball in 2010 when she joined the TIRR Memorial Hermann Junior Hotwheels Team in Houston, TX, United States of America, during her sophomore year at Jersey Village High School. (tmc.edu, 10 Feb 2020; teamusa.org, 08 Feb 2020) Reason: "I had a pretty late start when it comes to playing the sport. It is very difficult to get the hang of, especially with the ball. When I first began, I was horrible. I was not good at wheelchair basketball at all. I love the competitive part of the sport and I have always been competitive." (tmc.edu, 10 Feb 2020) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (outsports.com, 28 Nov 2023) Additional Info: TEAM SELECTION She began trying to make the US national team in 2013, and was eventually selected in 2017 after initially being cut that year. "I didn't think I was going to come back and play again, I was pretty much over it at that point. In the moment, I was done. I didn't want to come back and was finished with wheelchair basketball. But then one of the girls got injured so coach Trooper Johnson called me up and offered me the spot right then and there. Being initially cut from the team was hard and I knew I had to put 100% effort into it if I wanted to continue." (tmc.edu, 10 Feb 2020; houstonchronicle.com, 17 Aug 2019) FURTHER EDUCATION She studied for a bachelor's degree in community health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the United States of America before going on to study for a master's degree in healthcare at the same university. (LinkedIn profile, 01 May 2021)