This wheelchair ballroom dancer is breaking barriers: 'I was determined from a young age to never let my wheelchair define me or confine me.'
"It changed my life," Angelelli said. "It was the first time that I'd seen and witnessed this elite level game for athletes with disabilities."
Right then and there Angelelli knew that it was her chance to fulfill her childhood dreams of competing in the Olympics, except this time in the Paralympics. Cheryl Angelelli, second from top, vies in the women's 100 meters freestyle - S4 during the 12th Paralympic Games at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Athens, Sept. 14, 2004."Wheelchair ballroom dancing was something that I always wanted to try," said Angelelli. "So when I retired it was the perfect opportunity for me to try a new sport."Angelelli waltzed her way into becoming one of the best wheelchair ballroom dancers in the world.
"It's just a great crowd moment because the crowd doesn't expect it. They don't expect that move from someone who is in a wheelchair," said Angelelli.Angelelli lives her life without thinking she has any limitations. As marketing director for the rehabilitation institute of Michigan, she encourages others to think the same way.
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