* Brentwood (CA) High School athlete Ezra Frech will compete in his first Paralympics next week
Photo Credit: Submitted
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"He's honored to be going to Tokyo to represent Team USA. But even more, he wants to be an example. He's capable of doing anything he puts his mind to." -- La Tijera Avery
Ask any coach who's ever worked with an athlete with grandiose potential -- the kind of person who feels destined for the big-time, whether it's at the NCAA Division I level or in some other industry -- and there will always be moments they turn back to.
La Tijera Avery can point to hers.
The Inglewood, California native, who goes by 'La Ti' or 'Coach L.A.', remembers the time and the place and the track.
Three years ago, at a small youth invitational, that's where she saw Ezra Frech -- a soon-to-be Paralympian who will become the U.S.'s second youngest track and field athlete in Tokyo -- at the high jump pit.
She remembers hearing another athlete disparage him. "I won't lose to the kid with one leg."
Avery was 28. She was a former NCAA Division I athlete who competed at the University of Nevada, Reno, and importantly, had expertise in the event Frech was about to dive into.
"I walked over to his coach and asked him, 'Could I give him (Ezra) some advice?'" Avery said. "The coach said, 'Sure, we could use that.'"
Frech, who was born with congenital limb impairments, would go on to clear those bars.
And yet, the interim hasn't stopped him, either.
Just as important has been his continued work with Avery. His father Clayton said recently of La Tijera: "She's literally the reason he's made it this far."
We're in 2021 now and the 5-foot-11 inch Frech has become one of his classification's top athletes, with personal best marks of 6-foot in the high jump and 19 feet, 5 inches in the long jump.
He's been competing with Team USA since 2019, first gaining experience at the Para Athletics U17 Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland, where he finished first in the high jump with a mark of 1.54 meters (5-0.5). He also competed at the World Para Athletics Championships in 2019.
While there will be obvious limitations with the next big competition in Tokyo -- the event organizers have said there will be no fans in the stadiums -- the Los Angeles native will be ready for the 2021 Paralympics. There, he will compete against men sometimes five, six and even 10 years his junior. He leaves on Friday with his support staff.
Avery thinks he has a chance to compete for a top finish if he focuses on just letting loose.
"When he's having fun, he's doing well," she said. "If he's enjoying it, we get the results."
Frech is a T-63 category athlete. The designation classifies athletes who have limb impairments; Ezra is a single-leg amputee. But Frech also has impairment in his left hand. When his leg was amputated at birth, doctors told his parents that Ezra's big toe would be useful as a thumb for his left hand -- since he was born with just one finger.
He ran with it. Literally.
Few things have stopped him since.
You have to remember, too, that Frech is a high schooler. He goes to Brentwood (CA). In March, he ran 13.73 seconds in the 100m during a dual meet, then cleared 6-0 at the CIF Southern Section Division 4 Finals in June. A month earlier, he posted a mark of 18 feet, 8 inches in the long jump at the California Relays.
While track and field seems to be the sport that's taking Frech all over the world, he's just as ambitious with creative outlets like surfing and skateboarding and basketball.
"Those things have definitely shaped the athlete he has become in track and field, particularly in basketball" Avery said. "When we're high jumping or long jumping, I tell him, 'Imagine you're going up like MJ. You have to get air and hold that position.'"
When it comes to the specifics, though, Frech, like most teenagers, is still learning.
Para athletes consistently have to adapt to their surroundings and the implements that allow them to succeed. Frech uses a protheses blade for his left leg. He's currently working on being more consistent with his runs, both in high jump and long jump.
But one strength sets him apart.
"He's a power jumper," Avery said. "We realized he can two-step. He can clear a 5 foot, 8 inch bar pretty easily. And that's strictly on strength. You add a little bit of speed, you're looking at 6-foot plus bars."
Back in 2013, when Frech was just starting in the sport, reaching the Paralympics was his dream. But now that he's on the cusp of his first opportunity, his goals are perhaps slightly higher.
The Paralympics will take place from August 24 to September 5.
And yet, sporting success isn't Frech's only vision moving forward.
Along with his father, Clayton, he recently started a non-profit named Angel City Sports, which provides year-round access to athletic opportunities and equipments for physically impaired athletes.
When he was four, he was featured on Good Morning America. At 8, he went on the Ellen DeGeneres show.
Frech is beginning to learn. how his story can inspire others.
"He's honored to be going to Tokyo to represent Team USA," La Tijera said. "But even more, he wants to be an example. He's capable of doing anything he puts his mind to. Ever since he was a kid he's wanted to go to the Olympics. Now here he is."
Frech won't be alone, though, as his father Clayton and Avery will be there.
Whether he finds himself on the podium at the end of the competition will be decided soon enough.
But his support crew will also be there to remind him of a crucial fact.
"He's still a kid," Avery said. "I know he's competing professionally out there, but I always have to remind him. We have to have fun. You're only a kid once. You're doing this on a pro level. But you still have to be you."