By Naya Seth
Photos courtesy of the Dolan family
Josie Dolan, a 13-year-old swimmer, is striving for greatness! She started swimming when she was just 9 months old and has loved the sport ever since, saying her favorite part about swimming is how freeing the water feels. Dedicating a lot of time to her sport, Josie swims around 15 hours per week, which can sometimes be hard to balance with school and spending time with friends. However, she has managed to find a balance. Her favorite events are all of the 100-meter races and the 200 IM.
Josie has faced challenges throughout her swimming journey. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of 9, during the pandemic. Her parents had noticed weakness on the right side of her body and that she struggled to walk, but when they spoke to her pediatrician, they were told she might grow out of it. As her condition worsened, her parents sought further answers, leading to her diagnosis. Returning to school during the pandemic was tough, especially while wearing a leg brace to help stabilize her leg. However, Josie found that most kids her age didn’t notice or mind her leg brace. She’s managed her condition at school by taking extra time to walk to classes or occasionally skipping PE.
Mentally, it can be challenging for Josie, knowing she’s on a swim team with kids who don’t have disabilities, sometimes making her feel like she isn’t good enough. But she overcomes these feelings by remembering her accomplishments, such as competing in the Paralympic trials this past summer.
After her diagnosis, Josie wanted to continue competing but realized there were no other kids with disabilities at her meets. Through research, her family found the Desert Challenge Games, a meet for athletes with disabilities. At the event, she met Ryan, who introduced her to the Paralympics. Inspired, Josie began training harder, improving her times until she qualified for the U.S. Paralympic Team trials. At the trials, she was intimidated by the older competitors but still competed in all of the 100-meter events and the 200 IM. While she didn’t make it to this year’s Paralympics, Josie set personal bests in every event she swam and is proud of her performance. She now has her sights set on the 2028 Paralympic Games and is focusing on improving her starts, turns, and core strength.
Josie is an eighth grader at Shaw Montessori in Phoenix. Outside of swimming, she enjoys sculpting, 3D printing, and listening to music. She’s also interested in starting an acting career soon. Josie has one younger brother, and two pugs named Noodle and Bean.
