SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (WDTN) — Coaches at Springfield High School describe Jadyn Marstella as a girl who’s breaking down barriers and inspiring others.
Jadyn is not only a fierce competitor in the shotput for the high school’s track and field team, but she’s also a para-athlete with a form of spina bifida. She said she doesn’t let her disability stand in her way.
“If you think about all the bad things all the time, it’s very easy to let it overtake you and you don’t really get through the day if you think that way,” said Marstella.
Just last year, Jadyn placed third in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s track and field championships, making her Clark County’s first para-athlete for the division.
Though it’s quite an accomplishment Jadyn’s coaches and her father said she’s creating a much larger movement by inspiring other students with similar circumstances to compete.
“She’s a trailblazer and we have three para-athletes on our team because of her,” said Justin Marstella. “You got this little girl who never asked for any of the challenges that have been thrust upon her, but she’s sparkled like a champ.”
Jadyn is a champion for others and leaving her mark on her high school career to get more para-athletes involved in the area’s athletic program.
“It’s hard to see the big picture when you only get small fragments of things. My religion is something I’m very strong in especially with my disability. A lot of people would blame him [God], but we really don’t see the big picture. So it’s easy to get distracted by the things you don’t see.”
Jadyn is planning to attend Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville majoring in English and literature and minoring in music.
