Damon Whittaker

Meet Damon, a California native and the oldest of five siblings. As a child, he had a big heart and a deep love for football. At 14, he started at a new high school in September 1992 and made the Junior Varsity football team. On October 15 of that same year, after a game, he went out to eat with his uncle, and the vehicle they were in was rear-ended by another car traveling at high speed. That day changed his life. He suffered a high spinal cord injury and became a C7 quadriplegic. Damon had very little use in his hands and arms and could barely feel anything from the neck down. It was a terrifying experience for a 14-year-old.

In 1993, Damon was discharged from the hospital and returned to high school, where the world’s perception of disability was a harsh dose of reality. He earned top marks in PE for running laps and shooting hoops, but he wanted more. His friends participated in the Watts Games every summer in disciplines like track and field, flag football, and basketball, but there was nothing for him. He stayed on the sidelines watching his friends.

In 2000, Damon met Michael Garafola and Alvin Malave, two adaptive athletes and now coaches at Angel City Sports, who introduced him to handcycling. At that time, adaptive sports were just starting to gain momentum. In 2015, he attended the first Angel City Games at UCLA, where he tried track and field and archery, which opened his world to new possibilities. He needed an outlet and something to inspire him… adaptive sports at Angel City Sports was the answer.

Today, you can find Damon at the monthly adaptive golf clinics, helping to recruit more people to join the adaptive sports community, and coaching archery at Angel City Sports’ main events. Thanks to the support of the Angel City Sports Youth Council, Damon was awarded a scholarship that will help him pursue his Paralympic dream as a Paralympic archer for Team USA at the LA28 Games.