S1: Welcome in San Diego , it's Jade Hindman. On today's show , we profile an adaptive student athlete as she prepares for the Olympics. This is KPBS Midday Edition. Connecting our communities through conversation. The Los Angeles Paralympics are a few years away , and all across the country , elite athletes are preparing for a chance to compete on the world stage. In fact , some of those athletes are training right here at San Diego State. My next guest , Alicia Guerrero , is a student athlete with Sdsu Adaptive Athletics Program. She competes in track and field , specifically shot put and discus. Last month , she represented team USA at the 2025 World Para Athletes Championship there. She actually medaled twice. That is two times. Alicia joins me now to reflect on her journey thus far. Welcome to the show. I should say welcome back. We talked to you last year , too.
S2: We did. And thank you for having me back. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. So glad to have you in studio here. Um , so you were one of three athletes from the program who qualified for the World Championships. Uh , it's one of the biggest events in the world of adaptive sports. Just after the Paralympics. So tell me , what was that experience like for you.
S2: In complete honesty ? It was very nerve wracking because this was my second time representing team USA , and it was my biggest like major competition before. I was representing team USA for discus in , um , Santiago , Chile for Pan American Games. And that one was more of a development like team , but this one was definitely more nerve wracking. It was super exciting though.
S1: Oh wow. Well , you won two bronze medals at the event. How did it feel to to place it.
S2: Feel real in the moment because it was a very long season for us , like we were throwing since around this time last year. So for it to come full circle , where it's like all the hard work that has finally happened , I like kind of felt a sense of relief and cried a little bit after I meddled for a shot for my last competition because I was like , oh , we did it. We did it ! Yeah.
S1: It's always surreal , right ? I mean , let's talk more about shot put and discus. The events , though , those are the events that you compete in and you actually hold the American record for shot put in your division.
S2: I know I am a very strong competitor not to flex , but I can bench 160 for four reps. We just had fun on that. So I know I'm a very strong , like very strong athlete , but it definitely does take a lot of practice in where we want to be in the ring and where I'm at mentally to make sure that I'm hitting my positions correctly.
S1: That's impressive. How much are you benching again ? 160.
S2:
S1: All right. Had to say it again.
S2: And we're limiting myself to 225. So I don't break the prosthetic for squatting. Wow.
S1: Wow. Okay. All right. Well , you know , last time you were on the show , you shared some of your own story. Um , for for those who didn't get a chance to tune in back then , can you talk a bit more about your disability and and how you got into the world of adaptive sports ? Yeah.
S2: So for me , I acquired my disability through a traumatic accident. I was in a lawnmower accident when I was two years old , but because of how young I lost my leg , I've been able to really accommodate throughout my life and just kind of keep going. So I was very much raised , like able bodied. My parents encouraged me to just keep going and doing what I want to do. So I did a lot of sports like able bodied basketball , softball , volleyball , I did ballet and gymnastics for a little bit , and how I got introduced into sports is I really liked track. My brothers did track and they asked me like , oh , hey , you want to throw ? And I was like , sure. I threw in middle school and high school. I actually made it to state for the ambulatory program in Washington state. And since then I was like , I really like this. So my parents kind of reached out to the Paralympic Committee in a couple of different places and got me connected into adaptive athletics that way.
S1: Wow , you're just a well-rounded athlete here. As an indigenous woman , you've you've talked before about representing your community in the sport.
S2: So for me , a lot of people , I don't know if they personally have that connection. But like for me , understanding that my family is what drives me to really strive for greatness because I do it for them. I do what I can for them to show , like the representation of like no matter disability in our community , it cannot affect because we are a smaller community , unfortunately , in the Native American community. But thankfully we are starting to grow and become more aware and show people like we are still here. And no matter despite our circumstances , whether it is systematics or circumstances or for my case , a prosthetic like we're still here and we're here to shine. So it's a big component for me.
S1: You know , you mentioned your family , and I hear your parents are also a huge support for you.
S2: So for them to be able to see me succeed not only just athletically but academically , being able to pursue my degree here at Sdsu and learning valuable leadership skills like it's a big deal for them because I'm sure every parent wants to see their There's athletes there , children , they want to see them succeed. But I think for them it's very touching to just because , like I'm doing it for them and they know it. Yeah.
S1: Yeah. Well , you've been training at Sdsu for a little over a year now , right ? Yes. Okay. Well , I mean , have you felt like you've grown since coming to San Diego or what's changed ? Absolutely.
S2: Um , like an example I like to use is for , like , shop. I went three years without having a PR. I was throwing about like nine meters and literally not even working a whole year with coach Jasmine Burrell. With adopted athletics. I hit like I think what we were like maybe five months into our training and I hit ten meters , which that was a big milestone for me , because if you would have asked me a year ago if that was something I anticipated would happen in that time frame , I would have said no. But with the hard work that I've done with her , along with our strength and conditioning team , nutrition and sports cycle , I feel like it really helped me become a more well-rounded athlete to achieve. Not only that , but also in like my academics. Like. Like kind of to share a little bit too. Like. I , I have a 4.0 right now so. Like I'm working hard. I'm doing my best for what I can do.
S1: Do it. Congratulations. Thank you. You know , the relationship between coach and athlete is really a pivotal one.
S2: Like , I'm not in the weight room just by myself with our strength and conditioning coach. I'm in the weight room with my teammates and we like to push each other. Of course , like we might talk smack here trying to be like , we know you can jump higher than that. But when at the end of the day , sometimes when I'm having a tough time and I need to go talk to someone like my teammate Anna , she's been a very big support for me , along with Chloe , where it's like some days , like we need that extra support to keep pushing us and some days we need that competitor to keep pushing us. Mm.
S1: Mm. Well , you have a signature look each time you step out on the field. I mean , you wear big , colorful glitter around your eyes. Talk about the process behind the look and what it means to you.
S2: For me , it means showing my femininity with strength. I feel like with shot put and discus , it is a male , a more male dominated sport , and it's more traditionally seen as less feminine because like it does take a lot of strength into it. But realistically , I like to really show that like you can still be pretty and strong and just be showing stuff. And plus , I just really love the glitter. I've always been a fan of that kind of stuff , so it's me embracing , like how I feel confident in myself and I feel confident wearing a lot of glitter. And when I want to throw stuff far.
S1: I love it.
S2: And sometimes I do wear beaded breads. Most of them are either made by indigenous beadwork , um , bead workers from a couple of different places , like Arizona. A lot of the earrings I typically wear are from Yakima , Washington , for my reservation back home. And so I know the bead worker , um , Maria. She does a great job making my earrings and even some of the pieces I make myself. It's like a way of me connecting back into the roots that I have with my family and with my culture , because I make some of my own earrings as well.
S1: Oh , wow. All right. Well. And how do how do you just do you just wear them or are they on sale ? What do you.
S2: I do sell them sometimes , but it's more so like a stress reliever. Like when I need a moment to reconnect or I kind of use it as an outlet for me. So that is one of my biggest hobbies I greatly enjoy. And I do wear some of my pieces , but for the most part , I like to give as gifts or like as a way to like create a connection and honor them. So like some of my coaching staff , they do have like a couple wristlet or like my mother's a big one who has a lot of the earrings that I've made just because , like , she's been a big supporter of me connecting back into my roots and then just everything else. So I definitely pay homage to her through that. Wow.
S1: Wow. That's wonderful. Well , we alluded to representation a little bit earlier.
S2: But being able to see how much visibility has improved and is in is going to continue to improve leading up to the Paralympics. I'm very proud and I'm excited to keep seeing the progress , because there's hundreds and thousands of athletes out there that are like myself where we didn't know about it until we were much older. So it's just providing more outlets for community and connection with not only just like the elite athletes , but also athletes that just really require community to not only navigate their personal life , whether that's through school and work , but also their life through their disability.
S1:
S2: So I have noticed , like some companies like Nike and a few other places have been showing more like adapted athletics. Athletes like Beatrice Hats has been someone that's been on like a couple ads , but I feel like there's a lot more companies that need to continue to keep pushing for that , and not just for leading up to LA 28 , but for overall consistency. Because yes , we aren't like a large , large population for the most part in media , but we are still consumers. And the bigger you reach out to people , the better connection we're going to be making in showing people that , yes , we are here , we're on the same playing level. We have a disability , but we're all human , we're all people , and we deserve that , that visibility.
S1: And competitive. Yes.
S2: Yes.
S1: You know , I mean , I'm curious. Walk me through your training regimen. What's. What's a day like ? Ooh.
S2: Currently we're in the off season , but once we're in season , I'm. I'm with Coach Jasmine on the sports desk for at least , like , maybe an hour and a half to two hours. And then I go to the gym right after with Coach Rodney. And I'm in there for , like , anywhere from 2 to 3 hours. And I have class either between that before that or after that. So like after this , I know I have to go to my class after , but I also have to get my worked out workout done while making sure I'm still eating and keeping up with my nutrition and all my meetings. So it can definitely be a pretty hectic schedule sometimes.
S1: A lot of dedication and discipline. Absolutely.
S2: Absolutely.
S1: Well , the LA Paralympics are still a few years away.
S2: And it's been a long year. So I think right now it's more so a resting point where I'm ready once I'm fully rested to hit the ground running. Just because it has been definitely a learning curve for me to be training at this elite level. So I'm super excited to see the progress that I'm going to do because this is an off year for us. So we don't have any like super major big competitions. We don't have worlds or Pan AMS and we don't have the Paralympics. So it's definitely a year where it's going to be testing us to see like where I'm going to be at emotionally and physically. But I'm super excited to see the progress. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S2: So sometimes one can kind of lose the other. But thankfully , I'm in a place here at Sdsu where I can balance the three and be able to succeed. But for me , staying motivated is just keeping those connections. So like my teammates and my coaches , I keep really good communication. And even if there is a day where like maybe I am feeling a little worn , I just communicate it and we can work through it just because I know , like my end goal for short term end goal is to make it to LA. But I definitely want to be a very competitive athlete and still upholding my education.
S1:
S2: So La Australia and then to be determined for the third one. But I would love to make the team for that and for sure obviously medal , because I feel like I'm very confident in my medal contention for like my skills , um , for my Academics and for my career. I'd love to be an elementary teacher. I love working with children , and being a first grade teacher would be amazing for me as well as coaching.
S1: Oh that's wonderful. Well , Alicia , I mean , I wish you all the best and congratulations on everything.
S2: Thank you so much.
S1: I've been speaking with Alicia Guerrero , student athlete with Sdsu Adapted Athletics program. Alicia , thanks for joining us.
S2: Thank you for having me.
S1: That's our show for today.
S3: I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
