Autistic Athlete Ready for the Next Level

Sports often bring about perseverance and determination people did not know they had. That is especially evident in the story of Carol Marker. Even though Carol has autism, she has not let that stop her both in sports and life.

Carol first played tennis in a church sports program at eight years old. She fell in love with the game and played a lot of tennis on the Wii. A few years later, Carol decided she wanted to try playing real tennis. At age 16, she started practicing with a coach. After a couple months, her coach said she was really good at tennis and should try out for her high school team. Carol made the team and played her junior and senior year of high school. 

Carol did not stop at high school tennis. She competed in the Florida Special Olympics the last two years. In her first year, Carol won the silver medal and followed that up by winning gold in her second year. Carol enjoyed her time in high school tennis and wants to keep competing in the Special Olympics. Her new goal is to play in the next Special Olympics World Games in Berlin next year. 

Of course, Carol loves winning, but she has learned over the years that there is more to tennis than just the final result. She loves just being able to compete in the sport that she loves. According to her father, Bernard Marker, “Anytime she can play, she’s ready.” Carol also loves the camaraderie of the game. She learned how to respect her competitors, teammates, coaches, and everyone else that makes it possible to play tennis. One of her favorite parts of being on her high school tennis teams was just being a part of the group. She did not have to worry about fitting in or winning games to be popular; she was just one of the girls. 

Carol is looking forward to traveling to a different part of the country for the 2022 State Games of America. She has only been to different parts of Florida and Georgia so she is excited to see totally new parts of the United States both in Iowa and the drive there. She said she will have to do more research on specific things to do and see in Iowa, but as of right now she is just excited to see the state. 

Carol’s advice to those reading this? “Having a disability shouldn’t hold you back. If you want to do something, you can do it.” Beyond tennis, Carol recently graduated from Okeechobee High School and is enrolled in Indian Rivers State College to study culinary arts!  

We want to wish Carol and all the athletes save travels to Iowa and good luck in the State Games of America!