Fueling Hope and Motion Through the Power of Sports
From gym floors to open fields, from swimming lanes to track lanes, stories of resilience, courage, and triumph unfold across Texas every day.
And at the heart of many of these stories is Texas Parasport.
An organization built on the foundations of inclusive athleticism, Texas Parasport also believes that movement, when made accessible, can become a path to healing, belonging, and joy.
This month, we are honored to highlight Texas Parasport as a longstanding partner; not only because of their commitment to breaking barriers, fueling passion, and unleashing the potential within every athlete across Texas, but also because of our shared pursuit in creating life-altering possibilities for individuals with neurotrauma and limb loss.
A Vision Rooted in Experience
Born not out of a boardroom but from lived experience, Texas Parasport began on the sidelines. In the early 1990s, Wendy Gumbert, a Paralympic-level coach and administrator, and Ross Davis, a three-time Paralympic athlete and experienced sports professional, came together at none other than Warm Springs Rehabilitation Hospital in San Antonio.
There, they launched the region’s first adaptive sports program fueled by their passion and firsthand experience witnessing the transformative power of adaptive sport.
More than two decades later, Wendy and Ross reunited their vision and expertise to expand that mission across Texas. Under Wendy’s leadership, Texas Parasport was first established in 2011 as a United States Olympic Committee program and officially became an independent nonprofit in 2023.
Today, Wendy serves as Executive Director and Ross as Board President. Together, they guide a network dedicated to providing athletes with disabilities the resources, opportunities, and support to thrive.
Through local programs, regional clinics, statewide competitions, and support for athletes at the national level, Texas Parasport continues to lead a movement where ability is not defined by limitation, but by passion, perseverance, and possibility.
A Catalyst for Healing
For many, sports begin as a dream. Over time, it becomes something much more: a foundation for confidence, a source of strength, and a pathway to meaningful connection in the face of life’s hardest challenges.
Texas Parasport exists to ensure that all athletes, regardless of physical condition, have the opportunity not only to access these experiences but also to discover what they are truly capable of.
Whether it’s the first push down a track, a return to competition after injury, or a newly discovered skill in the water, the introduction to sports often marks a turning point. For some athletes, it’s about training for elite performance. For others, it’s about improving physical health, rebuilding confidence, and reconnecting with a sense of identity.
Across disciplines like track and field, wheelchair basketball, archery, tennis, kayaking, and powerlifting, athletes find more than a love for the game; they find community, self-belief, independence, and joy.
At Warm Springs Foundation, we feel this deeply. Our mission is grounded in the understanding that healing isn’t just clinical. It is also emotional, social, and spiritual. Texas Parasport brings this belief to life, showing us what healing looks like in motion.
Every day, across Texas, healing is happening in a child’s first race, a veteran’s return to the sport they thought they had lost, and in the collective cheer by a community that believed in them from the beginning as a finish line is crossed.
These are the moments that reflect the transformational role of sports in recovery, growth, and long-term well-being.
Texas Parasport exemplifies what’s possible when access meets opportunity. And together, we are proving that through inclusive athletics, we can create life-altering possibilities.
The Games That Bring Us Together
Each spring, Texas Parasport hosts the Texas Parasport Games in San Antonio, an inclusive, multi-day event that brings together youth, adult, and military athletes from across the state. Held at venues like Morgan’s Wonderland, the Games are more than a showcase of athletic talent. They are a celebration of perseverance, community, and transformation.
Over three powerful days, athletes compete, connect, and push the boundaries of what’s possible. But beyond the medals and matches, the Games offer something even more lasting: moments that change lives.
A swimmer who once feared the water completes a freestyle heat.
An athlete who receives their first custom racing chair and feels the wind in their face.
A coach who watches as a lifetime of training becomes a legacy passed on to the next generation.
These are not just highlights of an event- they are stories of growth, healing, and forward momentum.
At Warm Springs Foundation, these are the stories that inspire us. We are proud to stand behind moments like these because we know that access creates opportunity. And opportunity leads to life-altering possibilities.
A Shared Mission, A Stronger Tomorrow
Texas Parasport stands by its declaration that no one should be sidelined. Their work ensures that individuals navigating life after injury or with lifelong disabilities have access to the power of sports: to compete, to move, and to belong.
At Warm Springs Foundation, we are honored to partner with Texas Parasport in building a stronger, more inclusive future where ability is recognized, potential is nurtured, and healing is set in motion.
Together, we’re proving that recovery doesn’t end in a clinic. It continues on the field, in the water, and at the starting line.