The Paralympics are underway in Paris. And among the thousands of competitors, several call Arizona home.
Today, Jill Ryan closes out a series of special Voices of Arizona segments by diving into the final story featuring two homegrown Paralympians.
Imagine an indoor volleyball court where the net is just over 3 feet high. Players sit on the floor and can scoot, slide, roll and dive for the ball, as long as at least one “cheek” stays on the ground in most circumstances.
Two Arizona-based players Whitney Dosty and Lora Webster have a daunting block. With one at 5’11 and the other at 6’3, their height matters in sitting volleyball.
“The ball is coming nearly at your face every single time. The level of play is a lot different from playing indoor [volleyball]. It’s a faster game,” Dosty said.
Dosty is originally from Tucson. Before a career-ending ankle injury, she played indoor volleyball for University of Arizona, internationally and on the junior and youth national teams. Now she’s been playing sitting volleyball for eight years, with Tokyo being her first Paralympics. She won gold.
Her teammate, Webster, is a founding member of Team USA and from Phoenix. She lost part of her leg to bone cancer and was discovered at a volleyball tournament as a teen; she was the only player with a prosthetic. A ref told her to reach out to Team USA who was trying to start a Paralympic team.
“And I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be a part of that because I never viewed myself as disabled and I didn’t want others to think that I wasn’t capable of doing what every able-bodied 16-year-old was able to do,” Webster said. “So I was very hesitant at first but once I sat down and started playing the sport and seeing how hard it was and how great it could be and how much fun it was, I immediately fell in love.”
She’s now a six-time Paralympian, counting the Paris games. She has two gold, two silver and one bronze medal.
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