This month’s spotlight is Austin Somerville from upstate South Carolina! Austin is a recent recipient of an Active Fund grant for a TerraTrike recumbent cycle. He is a student at Clemson University and a dedicated fan of Clemson University Football!

Since getting his new bike, Austin has a newfound “taste of freedom,” he says. He appreciates that it is a sport that can be simultaneously peaceful and social around the “breathtakingly beautiful” scenery of upstate South Carolina. “It has given me something that I can do independently and have a great time doing it!” he describes. 

Austin has been active his entire life. The youngest of four children, “I was always trying to keep up with them,” he says. Growing up, Austin tried almost every sport under the sun. After his spinal cord injury at age 16, he took some time exploring different adaptive sports. With wheelchair tennis and wheelchair rugby not quite scratching the itch for him, he finally fell in love with adaptive cycling. “Adaptive Biking is a great way to exercise and move around in a safe way while also having some control over the speed and direction.”

“I am a peaceful and steady fighter. I have always known this injury does not define me nor defeat me,” Austin says. “Through living my life, I want to set an example for others that even though catastrophic accidents can occur like SCI, you can still work hard to build a joyful, meaningful, successful, and beautiful life.”