BY JON R. LaFOLLETTE | STAFF WRITER
WESLACO — Joe Solis was the most celebrated athlete Friday at the Mid-Valley Classic relays at Bobby Mackey Stadium. In his track debut, moments before the starting gun fired, Solis was met with a standing ovation and chants of “Go, Joe, Go!”
Solis wasn’t concerned with the buzz of the crowd, however.
“I just focused on the gun, because it’s the loudest thing other than the cheers,” Solis said.
The evening marked a personal milestone for the Weslaco High freshman as well as a historic moment in Valley track and field. Solis became the Valley’s first paralympic track athlete to compete in the UIL’s wheelchair division.
This is the second season for high school wheelchair racing in Texas, and only Solis’ second month in competitive racing. Despite his status as a newcomer, Solis shows potential. He finished his attempt in the 100-meter wheelchair run with a time of 20.54 seconds, easily surpassing the 40-second barrier to qualify for May’s state competition in Austin. He qualified for state once more in the 400 wheelchair run with a time of 1:18.79, crushing the state-minimum time of 2:40.00.
After each successful run, Solis was circled by teammates and opposing athletes alike, all expressing encouraging words and congratulations.
“There was just so much excitement, I really didn’t know what to say,” Solis said. “I never thought I would do this.”
Solis was born with spina bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down. He has been in a wheelchair since the age of 3. That’s not to say he was wasn’t as active as his peers. Around the same time Solis grew accustomed to a wheelchair, he took up skateboarding.
“We’d take him to the skatepark and he’s get on the ramp,” Solis’ mother Sylvia said. “He loved that. We never told him, ‘No, you can’t do this or that.’ He did everything on his own.”
Solis was asked to join the Panthers by girls coach Pablo Almaguer, a former track athlete who became paralyzed as a result of a car crash when he was 21.
“I saw Joe in the hallways, and I found out what his condition is,” Almaguer siad. “I just convinced him to come out.”
Solis’ first practice consisted of five laps around the track. The seemingly simple task left Solis sore and out of breath.
“That’s when I knew it was going to take a lot more work than I thought,” Solis said.
During workouts, Solis lifts weights to focus on increased shoulder strength and added durability in his back. During the 400 wheelchair run, Solis felt a familiar sting of pain, and almost let up.
“I felt it on the back end,” he said. “I almost stopped, but I told myself, ‘This isn’t practice. You have to keep it up.’”
Solis’ windedness was a welcomed sight for Almaguer.
“This is the first time he’s been pushed,” he said. “It’s something new for him. He’s being pushed in a lot of different directions. I think for him it was good to just get out here and have people see him do it.”
As Solis’ campaign to state continues, he carries a piece of paralympic history with him. The bike used to race into state on Friday is the same one used by paralympic athlete Saul Mendoza, who won gold in the 1500 wheelchair run at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Mendoza has been working with Solis, and gifted the bike to the freshman.
“I know I can go fast,” Solis said. “I have the fastest bike.”
While Solis competed in each of his events by himself, Almaguer hopes Solis can set an example for other would-be paralympic athletes in the Valley.
“We’ve got some other kids we’re looking at to come out,” Almaguer said. “(Solis) is kind of discouraged because he feels like the only one doing it. He was like, ‘Why am I doing this, nobody else is out here.’ He’s going to open the door for everyone else. He’s going to be the first.”