By Kara Aiello
Some of the great interviews that I have done for mobileWOMEN.org stem from women in sports, and that includes women with disabilities, which is
a very exciting topic to expand upon.
Katherine Beattie is one athlete who impresses and excites. Born 30 years ago in Los
Angeles, CA, Katherine was born with spastic cerebral
palsy and uses a wheelchair part time for every day mobility as well as sport. Katherine competes in WCMX or motocross and has
been involved with the sport for over 5 years now. She grew up in the mid-to-late
nineties when everyone was a “skater kid” and into skateboarding and other
action sports. She explains: “When I was about 25, I
decided to get back into skateboarding, this time on my knees. And a year later,
I met Mike Box at a Life Rolls On event, got my first wheelchair and the rest
is history.” Katherine has competed in two WCMX contests with Rise AdaptiveSports, including last year’s world championships, where she came in 8th
and was the highest ranking woman. “I
have also competed yearly in the Life Rolls on Contest in Venice Beach, where
I’ve competed in both skateboarding and WCMX.”