Tayla competes in track and field

By Tayla Gassman

Hi!  My name is Tayla Gassman and I was a recipient of a GoHawkeye Grant in 2023.  I was able to use the grant to help me be able to participate in the Move United Track & Field National Championships in Birmingham, Alabama.

I was born with spina bifida so I compete in adaptive sports.

I have been participating in Track and Field and Powerlifting for three years now.  I compete on my high school track and field team, for the Courage Kenny track and field team, and I compete at USATF track and field meets.  There are no adaptive powerlifting groups near me, but luckily my parents own a personal training company and my Dad is a powerlifter so he’s my coach and I compete as an unattached athlete at Nationals.  I have competed at our State High School Track and Field championships for two years now.  I won first place in both shot put and discus both years (our state doesn’t offer javelin at the high school level).  I have also competed in the Move United Nationals for the past three years and have always finished in the top three for my class.  This year I got first place in jav and disc and second in shot.  I also got first place in my class in powerlifting for most weight lifted, and highest combined weight lifted.

My goal is to go to college for field events and I would love to go to the Paralympics for them as well.  That’s why it’s SUPER important to me that I be able to compete at Nationals – so I can maintain the overall placing that I’m going to need to make my goals happen.  To qualify for Nationals, you must compete at a qualifying meet and achieve minimum requirements.  Because there are not many adaptive meets near us, it gets expensive for my parents to be able to take me to these meets and Nationals.  Without the assistance of the GoHawkeye Foundation this year, we wouldn’t have been able to get to Nationals.  I want to thank the foundation and all its supporters for helping me be able to pursue my goals and my athletic career.