IMPACTFUL
In
observance
of
Women’s
History
Month,
The
Daily’s
sports section is
launching its third
annual series aimed
at telling the stories
of
female
athletes,
coaches and teams at
the University from the
perspective of the female sports
writers on staff. We continue the
series with this story from Daily
Sports Writer Shira Zisholtz.
The day was Nov. 7, 2018, when Anna
Abrams’ dreams came true.
Donned in maize and blue and
accompanied by her parents, she signed
a National Letter of Intent that allowed
her to join the Michigan women’s
gymnastics team.
The Wolverines were bringing in a
big recruiting class that year, but this
signing was special.
Anna was just 13 years old, and in a
wheelchair.
***
Team IMPACT is an organization
that allows children aged 5-16 with
disabilities to be part of an athletic
experience that would otherwise not
be possible. The child gets matched
to a team at a university and becomes
part of that respective program for two
years.
Anna has mild cerebral palsy in
her legs, but strives to maintain an
active lifestyle. She has danced for
more than 10 years and previously
took gymnastics lessons, plays Miracle
League softball and swims. Her family
started a sled hockey team in their
area and plays tennis with her and her
friends.
Knowing her daughter’s love for
sports, Rhonda Abrams researched
different organizations that
would
allow
Anna
the
opportunity
to
find
something new and
be part of something
bigger.
One
day
at
work in the C.S.
Mott’s Children’s
Hospital,
Rhonda ran into
someone
who
recommended
Team
IMPACT
for Anna.
“I
researched
different
organizations
and
stuff, but Team IMPACT
seemed to be the best suit
for us,” Rhonda said. “They set
this up and then took a step back, so
all of this has been by the team and by
Michigan. But if it weren’t for Team
IMPACT, this wouldn’t have happened.
We are so grateful.”
On the surface, Team IMPACT is
focused on the lives of the kids that
go through its program. But what isn’t
always recognized is how the child
changes the team’s life, too.
“(Team IMPACT) kind of lets us be
a part of our community in a way that
we wouldn’t typically,” senior Maggie
O’Hara said. “We get to interact
with fans for a very small period of
time, after the meets, but being able
to actually share a team role with a
younger kid who looks up to us — and
who we get to be a friend to, and they’re
a friend to us, is super cool.
“Anna brings a lot of life to our team.
She shows us a different perspective
that we wouldn’t typically get on a
daily basis. She just kind of approaches
everything with a ‘Why not’ attitude,
and I think that’s really special for us
to see because we don’t typically have
a lot of interactions that are like, ‘Why
can’t I do this,’ or ‘Why shouldn’t I do
this.’ And she’s kind of, like, ‘Well, I
might not be able to do it the same way
but let me show you how I can do it,
too.’ ”
***
As a member of the team, Anna fits
right in — the wheelchair, the age gap,
the basic difficulties don’t faze her.
Her teammates have made an effort
to spend time with her on and off the
floor, in and out of the practice facility.
“I would say last year, she kinda
stuck to her people,” O’Hara said. “She
was pretty close to me and (student
assistant coaches Sam Roy and Polina
Shchennikova). But this year, she’s
definitely opened up to more people.”
This past year, Anna’s second year
with the program, the team took time
to start visiting her outside of the gym.
They played with her dogs at her house,
and even spent a day swimming with
her. All that time they spent with her
allowed her relationship with the team
to grow even more.
Now, she’s not just close to a select
group of people. Instead, she fits right
in with all 15 Michigan gymnasts and
two student assistant coaches — the
wheelchair, the age gap, her condition,
none of them stand in the way of being
a part of the team.
Anna’s favorite part of being on the
team is just “hanging out with them,”
she said. “They are my sisters.”
On her first day on the team, Anna
was told to bring her energy and open
up to be a part of the tight-knit family
that is Michigan women’s gymnastics.
“And she took it to heart,” O’Hara
said.
When she walks into the gym, she
demands a hug from everyone. She
runs floor music during practice. She
whips around the facility to keep up
with everyone else, making sure to be
everywhere she can to stay engaged.
She loves to be in the locker room with
her teammates.
Meet day is the best day for Anna.
When the Wolverines are at home, she
has the same gameday routine as the
rest of the team, even down to showing
up at the same time as everyone else.
She wears a warm-up outfit, gets her
hair and makeup done, and gets a block
‘M’ tattoo to wear. She sits in every
team huddle and dances around to
music before the meet.
Not only does the team make sure to
include her in all pre-meet rituals, but
Anna is also out on the floor with them
having fun during competition.
“When we’re out on the gym, me
and her are always goofing off on the
sidelines and just joking around and
having fun,” Shchennikova said. “I’ll
ride on her wheelchair a lot.”
But even in the moments that aren’t
as fun, Anna’s there, too.
“When we’re in a tight situation and
we’re all squeezing hands, she’s right in
there with us,” O’Hara said. “It’s just
reminding her that we’re doing this for
our team.
“She’s
very
much
there
with
everyone else.”
***
Anna’s life isn’t easy, by any means.
And yet, she is the brightest, most
positive girl in the room at all times.
“She never comes in with a bad
attitude and (the team is) like, ‘Wow,’
” O’Hara said. “I knew a lot of people
who never even knew what CP was and
didn’t realize the extent that it could
be. And she comes in and has the best
attitude and wants to be there and she
loves being there and she loves the
people.”
With a packed schedule and the
stresses of college life, gymnasts
can come into the practice facility
complaining that they’re tired or sore.
But Anna will come in after a 45-minute
commute from Commerce Township,
wheelchair and all, excited to be there.
And that wakes them up.
“It does remind us how fortunate we
are to get to do what we do, but also
how special it is that we get to have her
on our team,” O’Hara said.
“You can have an injury and feel
sorry for yourself,” Michigan coach
Bev Plocki said. “And yet, Anna’s been
in a wheelchair and she makes no
excuses. She just has a positive outlook.
She goes and does the things that she
wants to do.
“Her attitude on life is just so positive
and happy and smiling and I think
that when times get a little bit hard
for us you always have to remember
whatever you’re going through there
are other people suffering a lot greater
hardships. So, put a smile on your face,
chin up, you’ll make it through.”
When asked how she keeps such a
great attitude, Anna doesn’t have an
answer, and neither does her mom.
“This is literally her outlook, all the
time,” Rhonda said.
***
Because Team IMPACT is just a two-
year program, Anna has to “graduate”
from the team now that the season is
over. But she knows that her sisters
aren’t going anywhere.
Now, with a whole new rolodex of
best friends and sisters that she can
keep in touch with, she’ll grow up being
able to tell people that she was a part
of the Michigan women’s gymnastics
team.
“I’m sad to go,” Anna said.
Rhonda then looked at her daughter,
smiled, and said:
“All good things must come to an
end, right?”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
8 — Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Photos courtesy of Michigan Photography
Design by Jack Silberman
Women’s gymnastics team and Team IMPACT pair up
to give Anna Abrams the experience of a lifetime
Sports
SHIRA ZISHOLTZ
DAILY SPORTS WRITER