Paralympic hopeful Duquette '13 aiming high
Chelsea Allen '12 / Senior Staff
Issue date: 11/11/09 Section: Sports
Duquette made up a motto for herself, comprised for her initials: Kristin Michele Duquette- "Kourage Makes a Difference." "I feel like everything I've gone through and want to accomplish requires courage and believing in yourself when you feel like things are going against you," added Duquette.
Like any elite athlete, Duquette is disciplined and works hard. She cannot, however, compete with the rest of her Wheaton teammates because of the time standards that are set for able-bodied swimmers. Duquette's competitive times would seemingly suggest otherwise though. She enjoys the team atmosphere of Wheaton's swim team.
"I really like the team and they're so supportive. Also, when I train at home I don't get a sense of a team atmosphere because I just train [alone] with my coach," she said. Duquette also admits that the team and coaches are there for her when she's too hard on herself.
Just last month Duquette represented the United States at the Youth Parapan American Games in Cartagena, Colombia. Competing with the flu, and battling high altitude, Duquette won the 50-meter backstroke. She also added four second-place finishes in her other events.
While Duquette tries to just go about her life as normally as possible, she is aware of how people perceive her and her prowess in the pool.
"I realize that people look up to me and see me day in and day out as someone who is inspiring, which I truly take to heart because I am changing people's perceptions. But what's more important, and what I hope people take to heart from me, is to not just be inspired, but empowered."
Like any elite athlete, Duquette is disciplined and works hard. She cannot, however, compete with the rest of her Wheaton teammates because of the time standards that are set for able-bodied swimmers. Duquette's competitive times would seemingly suggest otherwise though. She enjoys the team atmosphere of Wheaton's swim team.
"I really like the team and they're so supportive. Also, when I train at home I don't get a sense of a team atmosphere because I just train [alone] with my coach," she said. Duquette also admits that the team and coaches are there for her when she's too hard on herself.
Just last month Duquette represented the United States at the Youth Parapan American Games in Cartagena, Colombia. Competing with the flu, and battling high altitude, Duquette won the 50-meter backstroke. She also added four second-place finishes in her other events.
While Duquette tries to just go about her life as normally as possible, she is aware of how people perceive her and her prowess in the pool.
"I realize that people look up to me and see me day in and day out as someone who is inspiring, which I truly take to heart because I am changing people's perceptions. But what's more important, and what I hope people take to heart from me, is to not just be inspired, but empowered."
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