YOUNG Colleen

Classification
S13, SB13, SM13 (IPC, 23 Mar 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (Athlete, 07 Jan 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 07 Jan 2016)

Impairment Details
She was born with albinism and is legally blind. "I couldn't really see the ball coming [when playing softball or soccer at school]. With swimming it's just you and the water, and you don't have to focus on anything coming at you except for the wall. I love the feeling of being in the water. It's so inclusive, like anyone can swim, any ability, any age, because the water treats you the same." (colleenroseyoung.com, 01 Feb 2021; Fairfield University YouTube channel, 26 Nov 2019; ctpost.com, 24 Dec 2018; everydayhealth.com, 17 Aug 2012)

General
CHANGE OF ATTITUDE
She said she had put too much pressure on herself to perform during the 2019/20 season and planned to focus on enjoying the sport going forward. "If I didn't have a good practice, I would really beat myself down. Now, once [COVID-19] clears up and I go back to regular training, I just want to have fun with it. If you don't love the sport you're competing in, then it's not going to be fun and it's going to feel like you're stuck in a rut. I really want to focus on keeping that fun attitude, while still accomplishing my goals in a light-hearted way." She took up daily morning meditation and began writing a list of targets during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It brings you a sense of accomplishment, and goals you would normally have during a practice. I'm trying to take it one day at a time, and focus on one race at a time. If I set this goal, what are the things I need to do to get to that goal. And if I don't get that goal, how am I going to react to it?" (teamusa.org, 30 Apr 2020)

PARALYMPIC EXPERIENCE
She was the youngest athlete in any sport to represent the United States of America at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. She was also part of the US national team four years later at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I definitely loved Rio a whole lot more than London. I was only 14 when I went to London so honestly I didn't really know what was going on half of the time. Don't get me wrong, London was great, but in Rio I was a lot more aware of my goals and what was happening." (hercampus.com, 19 Apr 2017; huffingtonpost.com, 30 Aug 2012)

FURTHER STUDIES
After completing a degree in communications with a minor in public relations at Fairfield University in the United States of America, she began studying for a master of business administration [MBA] with a focus on health services at Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Naperville, Illinois. (colleenroseyoung.com, 01 Mar 2021)

At age 14 years and 64 days, she was the youngest athlete in any sport to represent the United States of America at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, when she finished 12th in the S13 50m freestyle. (SportsDeskOnline, 23 Mar 2021; huffingtonpost.com, 30 Aug 2012)