Metro Roundup: Aspiring Paralympian excels in national championships

Twelve-year-old Gage Hendrix has only played basketball and swam at the Lakeshore Foundation for two years, and he has already earned multiple gold, silver and bronze medals at two Junior National championships.

Last year, Hendrix earned a gold, two silver and a bronze medal in Junior Nationals and this year he’s won one gold, two silvers and one bronze medals in this year’s Junior Nationals.

“They’re fun and I have a lot of friends,” Hendrix said.

“Lakeshore, in general, has been a lifesaver for us since he started, especially since he’s gotten into athletics,” said Haley Hendrix, Gage’s mother. “I think it’s given him an opportunity to feel included and that he can compete."

Gage said he’s always wanted to play sports but his doctors advised against it because of his cerebral palsy, a disorder that affects the muscles, coordination and balance.

One day, one of his doctors suggested he start playing sports at the Lakeshore Foundation, and Gage has been there ever since, Haley said.

“It’s been good for me as a human being and also as a parent,” Haley said. “To see him grow and to see him build those relationships has been great. I think being a part of a team builds so much character in kids and this afforded us the opportunity to do that.”

Feeling accepted by other kids has always been a struggle for Gage, he said.

Because his cerebral palsy is less visible than most people’s, it’s harder for people to understand why he’s unable to do certain things, he said.

“If you walked up one flight of stairs and he walked up that same flight of stairs, his body feels like he walked three more flights of stairs than you did,” Haley said. “If you walked a mile and he walked it with you, his body thinks he walked three more miles than you did.”

Since he started playing sports at Lakeshore Foundation, Gage has made a lot of friends and has gained more confidence in himself, Haley said.

“What it [Lakeshore Foundation] means to us as a family is huge and the difference we’ve seen in Gage is huge,” Haley said. “He wouldn’t tell people for years that he had CP. Because he could walk and he didn’t need anything, he would just say, ‘I don’t know why I can’t do that,’ or ‘I don’t want to.’ After he started doing Lakeshore and sports, he did a PowerPoint presentation in one of his classes about the Paralympics and he posted a picture of himself with all his medals and they were like, ‘What? What is that?’”

Haley said sports are “in their family’s DNA.”

She used to be a competitive cheerleader and Gage’s father played college and semi-pro football, Haley said.

The first sport Gage competed in was swimming, which showed his parents a different side to him they hadn’t seen before, Haley said.

“Swim team was awesome and we loved it because it gave him confidence,” Haley said. “We didn’t even know he was competitive.”

He started playing basketball soon after and loved the teamwork aspect of the game, Gage said.

“When you’re swimming you’re by yourself but at the same time you’re not,” he said. “With basketball, you have to work together and you have to work as a team and be a team.”

Haley said their family appreciates that the sporting events at Lakeshore aren’t condescending or “cutesy.”

She said players are aggressive and competitive, but they are also encouraging to one another.

“Especially in basketball, where we see the same people at all of these different tournaments all over the country,” Haley said. “They’re very friendly, encouraging and they’ll watch the other games and cheer for you but when it’s their turn, that friend stuff goes out the window.”

Gage said he’s excited to continue playing sports at Lakeshore Foundation and hopes to one day compete in the Paralympics.

Brought to you by our sister paper: Homewood Star