By John Kriescher for VolleyballMag
On the eve of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, ICN (It’s Called Normal) Athletics has awarded Berklee Andrews its first ICN Transcend Award, which will be given annually to an adaptive athlete who embodies excellence in volleyball and transcends sport.
Adaptive athletes and those with physical impairments like Andrews, who was born missing her left arm below the elbow, face tremendous barriers to competing at the highest levels. These obstacles include social/societal perceptions, difficulties obtaining expensive adaptive equipment, and a lack of knowledge regarding physical training/methodology specific to adaptive populations.
The Paralympic Games, of course, represent an incredible opportunity for these athletes to compete on the largest stage, under the brightest lights, against the most talented peers.
But not every gifted adaptive athlete has the opportunity to play on the Paralympic stage. Several of the most athletic sports are not included in the Games. Andrews, for one, is an incredible example of such an athlete breaking the mold in a sport that does not yet have Paralympic standing.
Andrews, 20, played four years of high school volleyball — and basketball and softball — before attending Texas Tech. After a semester, she realized how much she missed volleyball.
In December 2022 Andrews won a gold medal at the World Beach ParaVolley Regional Development Event.
“My passion for beach volleyball was re-ignited,” she recalled.
A month later, she moved to Florida to attend Lake-Sumter State College and play beach volleyball. Read more about that here, where the 5-foot-5 Andrews and partner Alanis Figueroa Rivera were named 2023 second-team All-Americans.
Since learning to throw a ball as a toddler, Andrews has embraced the challenges of being an athlete with a limb difference.
“Being born with one arm has allowed me to learn something from every barrier to find ways to make myself better,” Andrews said. “It has fueled my determination to excel in sports, but more importantly, it has helped me shed light on making life beautiful.”
Beach paravolley is the three-person adaptive format of beach volleyball that works within the Paralympic classification system. World ParaVolley, the international organization affiliated with the International Paralympic Committee, aims to submit the sport for potential inclusion in the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games, and competitions like…
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