'I didn't have the function where I couldn't play them yet, but I could see someone playing tennis and playing rugby. Initially, I thought there would be nothing for me to do.'īut Poppen would be introduced to wheelchair sports during his rehabilitation. 'I didn't know anybody in the disabled world or about wheelchairs or about the Paralympics. 'At the beginning, I assumed I would get better just like any athletic injury.' But reality did settle in, and he was trying to figure out his situation.

Poppen picked up the other individual, the two of them fell over sideways and the other camper happened to land on Poppen's head in such a way that paralyzed him from the neck down.Īt that point, Poppen wasn't sure how to handle this immediate change in his life. On one of the first days there, he and another camper were goofing off and essentially play wrestling. When he was 16 years old, Poppen went to a youth camp in the Fresno foothills. 'I had a lot of aggression growing up, so football was a good fit… I loved the contact.' In addition to baseball, he joined the football team as a freshman. 'I loved the idea of competing against another person or another team.' At a very young age, he also wanted to compete. 'I wanted to be outdoors and was active,' Poppen said. He had a real passion for baseball, but really all sports. Abilities Expoīrent Poppen always aspired to be a 'dirtbag.' Growing up in Long Beach, he wanted to play baseball at Long Beach State, whose team nickname was the Dirt Bags. 2X Paralympian Brent Poppen to Visit L.A.

Tragedy on the Mountain by Brent Poppen