Athlete accomplishes big goal without wheelchair

April 21, 2015 by Jose Garcia, AZPreps365


(Estrella Foothills' Alan Barberi Torres)

In May, Alan Barberi Torres will accomplish his goal of walking across the stage during his high school’s graduation ceremony without the assistance of his wheelchair.

Barberi Torres competes on Estrella Foothills’ Arizona Interscholastic Association’s Unified Sports track team, one of a handful of AIA sanctioned sports teams for special needs students. But before Barberi Torres dons his cap and gown, the inspirational kid crossed another important finish line recently.

For the first time, Torres finished a 50-meter race without his wheelchair but with help of his team’s partners, Dominic Calderon and Dustie Durham, who are an important component of Unified Sports. Here’s the video of Torres, who is in lane No. 8, during the race.

Here's another video of Torres

Congratulations go out to Barberi Torres and Estrella Foothills’ Unified Sports team for the great accomplishment of Barberi Torres.