Kathryn Sue Bridge

Started: She took up the sport in March 2006 at a US national training camp in Atlanta, GA, United States of America. (powerplay.us, 07 Nov 2016) Reason: In 2006 the US sitting volleyball team visited her university and she met the national coach. She was then invited to a training camp to try the sport. "I had always loved volleyball but gave it up in high school because I could only jump off one foot and was slow to move laterally. So, when the opportunity presented itself to play a version of the sport that took the jumping away, I was excited. It was almost a case of the volleyball team got to me first. However, I did try wheelchair basketball in 2009. For me, it wasn't a good fit because I was not willing to learn the chair skills necessary to be at a high level." (gomatadors.com, 10 Sep 2020; teamusa.org, 19 Jun 2014) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (nbcbayarea.com, 22 Sep 2023) Milestones: She became the first woman with a prosthetic limb to have played basketball in the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] Division I while she was studying at California State University, Northridge in the United States of America. (teamusa.org, 22 Aug 2019, 12 Mar 2014) Awards: She was named Most Valuable Player [MVP] in the women's tournament at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (usavolleyball.org, 30 Sep 2021) She was flag bearer for the United States of America at the opening ceremony of the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru. (teamusa.org, 22 Aug 2019) She was named Best Blocker at the 2018 World Championships in Arnhem, Netherlands. (teamusa.org, 22 Aug 2019) In 2016 she was a member of the US national sitting volleyball team that was named the Paralympic Team of the Year by United States Olympic Committee [USOC]. (teamusa.org, 2016) She was named Best Spiker at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. (teamusa.org, 12 Mar 2014) In 2011 and 2012 she was named Female Sitting Team Player of the Year by USA Volleyball. (teamusa.org, 12 Mar 2014) She won the MVP award at the 2011 Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. (teamusa.org, 12 Mar 2014) Additional Info: MOTHERHOOD She took a three-month break from training after giving birth to her daughter Claire in 2022. She said it took her around one year to return to full fitness following the birth and that motherhood has changed her outlook on life. "Honestly, it was probably one of the toughest challenges, physically, I've gone through. I've changed a lot. I've grown to love myself more as a person with a disability. I've also become much more firm in my boundaries. And I've always been very direct, but I've been able to soften, to be way more vulnerable and enjoy everything more." (harpersbazaar.com, 15 Jul 2024) OTHER ACTIVITIES She has served on the United States Olympic Committee [USOC] Athlete Advisory Council [AAC]. (teamusa.org, 22 Aug 2019) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2012 she gained a master's degree in therapeutic recreation from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, OK, United States of America. (usavolleyball.org, 30 Sep 2021) PODCAST She is the co-host of the 'Inside ParaSport' podcast alongside US Para swimmer and cyclist Kelly Crowley. They interview fellow Para athletes about their experiences in Para sport. (Inside Para Sport podcast, 26 Jan 2021; InsideParaSport Twitter profile, 27 Oct 2020)

Sporting Relatives: Her cousin Rob Rashell was a golfer on the PGA Tour between 2005 and 2007. Her sister Chelsey played basketball for Seattle University in Washington, United States of America, while her father Jeff played college football for Central Washington University. (teamusa.org, 22 Nov 2019)