ORLANDO, Fla. – Ashley Beauregard was born with spina bifida, but that hasn't stopped her from competing.
This decorated athlete from Bishop Moore High School in Orlando saw her chance and went for it, leaving a comfort zone to win championships. The senior who recently graduated is the school’s first every adaptive athlete.
The Hornets Track Coach Carolista Ware approached Beauregard freshman year and asked if she wanted to join the team.
“I was like ‘OK, what am I getting myself into?’” Beauregard said. “‘Like, ‘How do I feel about this?‘”
Beauregard can feel the butterflies before every race. But once it starts, they get quite the ride.
“Once I hit that straightaway, I’m gone. Once I get into the groove of it and comfortable, I can just go and basically show people what I can do,” she said.
It's safe to say Beauregard feels good about the decision and has since shown everyone how it's done, winning multiple state championships in 200 and 800 meter competitions.
“It makes me very proud. I feel like I have actually accomplished something. It feels like a legacy, basically,” Beauregard said.
The now-graduate is off to Seminole State College in the fall and has a message for everyone out there who's not sure if they want to become an adaptive athlete.
“You may enjoy it. Even if you feel like you’re going to fail, just try. Once I started that, I realized I’m just another person. I’m still the exact same as everyone else. I just have a physical disability. But that doesn’t change who I am,” she said.
Beauregard said how much she loves Bishop Moore and her alma mater loves her right back.