We recently connected with Tania Zamora and have shared our conversation below.

Tania, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We love heartwarming stories – do you have a heartwarming story from your career to share?

Yes. It seems the more I learn, the more I need to learn. Of course, learning has to start early. Between birth and five years, children’s brains are developing at a faster rate than at any other time in their lives. We need to engage children with the intention to create rich and meaningful learning opportunities for them. But we also need to commit to continuous improvement for ourselves, to build new knowledge and skills, take risks and learn from our mistakes. Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous advice, “Do one thing every day that scares you,” has motivated me to tackle new subjects, go back to school, and complete marathons. With each endeavor I hope to practice self-reflection, welcome honest feedback, grow, and maximize my potential.

Team Hoyt San Diego came into my life.

Team Hoyt San Diego (THSD) is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of local children and adults with disabilities. We use specially designed racing wheelchairs to participate in endurance races with people with disabilities (5k, half marathon, marathon, triathlons, etc.).

We are inspired by the father and son team, Team Hoyt, from Holland, Massachusetts, who competed in running events and triathlons. The son, Rick, was born in 1962 with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. This caused cerebral palsy, which rendered Rick a spastic non-speaking quadriplegic. The doctors told the father, Dick, and his wife, Judy, to put Rick in an institution because he was going to be a “vegetable.” Dick and his wife refused, brought Rick home, and raised him like any other child.

To communicate, Rick started using an interactive computer designed by a group of skilled engineers at Tufts University. In 1977, using that computer, Rick asked his father to push him in a 5-mile race to help raise money for a local lacrosse player that was paralyzed in an accident. Dick, a non-runner, agreed. In their first race, they came in next to last place but not last. When they got home, Rick typed, “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.” That was a strong message to Dick. Since then, Dick and Rick have competed in over 1,100
races, including six Ironman triathlons and 32 Boston Marathons.

In 2013, THSD was born. We are one of 11 chapters across the nation: Team Hoyt Virginia Beach (THVB); Team Hoyt New England (THNE); Team Hoyt Arizona (THAZ); Team Hoyt Las Vegas (THLV); Team Hoyt Coeur d’Alene (THCDA); Team Hoyt Texas (THTX); Team Hoyt Oklahoma (THOK); Team Hoyt Kansas (THKS); Team Hoyt Ohio (THOH); and Team Hoyt Canada (THCAN).

Tania, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Team Hoyt San Diego’s goal is to promote inclusion in the community and increase individual character, self-confidence, and self-esteem. THSD wants families to feel typical and to be able to do some things the rest of the world takes for granted.

Currently, Team Hoyt San Diego serves 55 children and adults with disabilities ages from 4 to 60 years old. The children’s and adult diagnoses vary from Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, and Hemimegaloencephaly, just to name a few. The children who are over 18 years old are conserved young adults with severe intellectual and physical disabilities. Most of these young adults are intellectually pediatric with a developmental age ranging from infant to teen and are in the care of their parents, their conservators.

Any advice for managing a team?

Lead with a purpose. Listen. Listen. Listen.

Nothing is more confusing than wanting help or needing to share information and not knowing how to go about that. Communication lines need to be clear to maintain high morale. This requires an in-depth revision of how communication works between the Board of Directors, the families we serve, and the members of the team. Communication should be complemented by action. Positive team chemistry is highly sought after, as it often separates successful and unsuccessful teams. Essentially, team chemistry is how well team members work together and support each other to achieve their goals.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Each of us has a story where resilience plays an important role. Some people have life experiences that require more resilience than others. There’s a saying that adversity makes you stronger. Real-life shows that’s not always true.

Fighting for inclusion is never easy. Playing sports at any level- club, intramural, or interscholastic- can be a key part of school-aged children’s experience and have an immense and lasting impact on a children’s life. Among its many benefits, participation in extracurricular athletic activities promotes socialization, the development of leadership skills, focus, and of course, physical fitness.

Children and adults with disabilities are no different- like their peers without disabilities. They benefit from participating in sports. But unfortunately, we know that children and adults with disabilities are all too often denied the chance to participate and, with it, the respect that comes with inclusion.

Yes You Can are the three words important to us and the families we serve. You must have hope and progress in this life. Usually, it’s a hope for progress. We believe you will find happiness and success if you have these two elements. Without them, you can become mentally paralyzed, crippling your opportunities of moving forward. That forward progress is what generates firm confidence and self-esteem.

Big, bold visions are inspiring. They are also possible. We are surrounded by examples of groundbreaking achievements in combating disease, alleviating poverty, revolutionizing technology, and more. The common thread in these accomplishments is a relentless commitment to the mission. With so much work yet to be done, we must work with a sense of urgency and impatience, face obstacles with courage and conviction, and find creative solutions to challenges. At THSD, we envision the day when every child or adult with special needs is included in every aspect of everyday life. We must pursue our goals with focus and drive and stay dissatisfied until that day arrives.

Let’s face it, what we’re trying to do is hard. The reality we are struggling to change—in my case inclusivity—is daunting, complex, and unjust.  But if we embrace our passion to make a difference in children and adult’s lives with special needs, approach our work with energy and optimism, find opportunities to laugh with one another, and bring a playful spirit to help children cultivate a loving environment, then we are doing more than just working for a cause.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.teamhoytsd.com
• Instagram: @teamhoytsd
• Facebook: @teamhoytsd

Image Credits
MarathonFotos Rich Cruse 3PIX Studios Cindy Spiva