We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tucker Garcia a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Tucker thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

Every adaptive athletes is unique. Each athlete we work with has their own challenges that they’ve overcome or learned to live with in their life. As a result, when we work with athletes we must avoid treating each athlete the same. They have their own physical challenges that we must adapt to. We have to provide different accommodations based off the athletes impairment. There is always a solution to make the athlete feel more comfortable and capable, our job is to find out what that solution is. It can be a lot of trial and error, but the most important thing is to listen to your athlete, have them guide you to find the solution. They know themselves better than we ever could.

Tucker, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Tucker Garcia and I work for Arizona Disabled Sports. Growing up, I had a passion for sports and saw the life lessons it taught me, it gave me self confidence, taught me how to work in a team environment, and showed me the importance of hard work. One of my first jobs in high school was working at a community home for those with disabilities. The main goal of the community home was to teach clients how to live independently, this included house hold chores, utilization of public transportation, advocacy for themselves, and information and referral process. This job had a big impact on my life, I saw first hand the impact that work had on individuals who have a disability. It wasn’t until I was almost done with my studies that I realized I could combine my passion for sports with the job that had a big impact on my life, with adaptive sports.

Here at Arizona Disabled Sports we provide year round sports and recreation opportunities for individuals with all types of disabilities. We offer 20+ weekly programs throughout the year including but not limited to wheelchair basketball, power soccer, archery, swimming, bowling, air rifle, track & field, cycling, kayaking, etc. We also host approximately 10 special events throughout the year, with our biggest event The Desert Challenge Games. The Desert Challenge Games is a international World Para Athletics sanctioned event that can serve as a qualifier for the Paralympic Games. We typically have about 350+ athletes from 15 different countries come to compete in track and field, archery, swimming, air rifle and pistol.

What I’m most proud of is turning doubters into believers. There have been numerous times someone has come to us and expressed interest in participating with Arizona Disabled Sports, yet they voice concerns because they don’t think they can participate due to their impairment. Some of my favorite experiences here is getting those people active with us and proving to them that they can do anything they put their mind to. We want them to understand as well as all potential athletes to NEVER SELL YOURSELF SHORT. There is always a way to accomplish what you want to accomplish.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I believe the most helpful tip to succeed in this field is to be creative and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. What I mean by this is, sometimes you have to create some sort of adaption to make the athlete feel comfortable. This doesn’t always happen on the first try. Sometimes, you think an accommodation will work but it does not and that’s okay. Understand why it doesn’t work so you can get a better idea of what needs to be done. Don’t be afraid to fail and don’t be afraid to try. A lot of what I learned in the adaptive sports industry has been from trial and error. Dive in the problem to find the solution and be hands on. Always communicate with the athlete to get a better understanding of what they need. Then, be creative, think of different solutions, and try those solutions. Get your hands dirty!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Our most effective strategy for growing our clientele are success stories and word of mouth. Our athletes do an amazing job talking about their experience they have with us. They are our biggest advocates because they understand first hand the impact our programs and events has had on them. In turn, we love bragging about our athletes. Letting people know what our athletes have accomplished and letting prospective athletes that they all of our athletes have started from where they are.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arizonadisabledsports.com/
• Instagram: @AZDisabledSports
• Facebook: @Arizona Disabled Sports
• Twitter: @AZDSPrograms
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVmvHrwnaXfVjcRhWmA-TRQ