Growing up, Temple student Gemma Wollenschlaeger had to face being looked at differently for having a life-altering disability. It challenged her daily and it was rare for her to ever feel comfortable or at ease. That all changed when she discovered competitive rowing.  

Now, after only five years after taking up the sport, she is preparing to compete in the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, which begins on Aug. 28. 

In preparation for the 2024 Paralympic Games, Wollenschlaeger wakes up at 6 a.m. and spends about two and a half hours rowing on the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. Her summer schedule includes weightlifting sessions and cross-training while balancing online classes at Temple. (Photography courtesy of Gemma Wollenschlaeger)

Wollenschlaeger was born with a left clubfoot, a birth defect in which her foot turned inwards and twisted out of position. After multiple surgeries to correct the positioning, her legs were different lengths with no calf muscle in the left leg. She described her surgically repaired Achilles tendon as zigzagged, causing limited ankle flexibility and a physical strain. As a child, she recalled not being able to run, jump or even walk on her foot.  

“The pain and getting judged for being different took a big toll on me as a child,” the Crofton, Maryland, native said. “Yet, my family was always supportive with the whole process of taking me to physical therapy sessions, telling me that everything is going be okay and pushing me to put myself out there.”  

Even though she experienced pain for most of her life, Wollenschlaeger was determined to participate in sports like basketball and swimming. However, in high school, she stepped away from all athletic activity due to the physical toll it was taking. 

She spent a year lying around the house, feeling unmotivated and distraught. But then, she found rowing.  

It was her sister, Zoe, who first encouraged her to join a local rowing club at the end of her sophomore year of high school. Wollenschlaeger quickly fell in love with it. 

“Despite having to make compromises along the way with getting orthotics in the boats in a way so I could level my hips, it was still my most enjoyable sport,” she said.  

“I love that rowing is such a team-driven sport that also requires each individual to have great technique,” she added. “Like a movement in one-tenth of a second can be the difference between winning and losing a race.”  

After rowing for Annapolis Junior Rowing during her junior year of high school and being named the team captain as a senior, Wollenschlaeger was recruited by Temple’s women’s rowing team. She now balances rowing and her academics, as she is pursuing an accounting degree with a data analytics concentration at Temple’s Fox School of Business.  

“Going to Temple was the best decision because I wanted to be in the city and still get that college campus experience,” she said. “I just loved the coaches Rebecca Grzybowski and Michiel Bartman, who were also a big reason I chose Temple.”  

After arriving in North Philadelphia, Wollenschlaeger never let her disability hold her back, competing at the NCAA Division I level. She placed third at the American Athletic Conference (AAC) championships in the Varsity Eight and was named AAC first-team all-conference in 2023. 

Temple Head Coach Grzybowski helped introduce Wollenschlaeger through the classification process to qualify as a Paralympic athlete. It became her dream to compete in the Paralympics, and it is a dream that soon became a reality.  

“When I first started rowing, I tried to hide my clubfoot and was just trying to get by,” said Wollenschlaeger. “But as soon as Rebecca helped me connect with the U.S. Paralympics rowing team it motivated me to inspire others with disabilities.”  

Wollenschlaeger earned a spot on the U.S. Para Rowing roster, where she competed in the PR3 mixed double sculls last summer. She won a silver medal at the 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 8, qualifying her to compete for a spot on the U.S. Para Rowing national team that will race in the 2024 Paralympic Games. 

She completed a rigorous training program during Temple’s winter break before competing at a two-week selection rowing camp in Sarasota, Florida, in January. After multiple days of time trial races, she was named a member of the United States PR3 mixed four with coxswain team for the 2024 Paralympic Games. She took the spring semester off from classes and moved to Boston to focus on rowing training for the Paralympics. In August, she will showcase her skills for worldwide audiences as part of the more than 140 hours of Paris Paralympic television coverage that will be seen across NBC, USA Network and CNBC. 

“I thought about the hard work and sacrifices I made away from my loved ones and when it was finally announced to the public it was another spur of excitement that this is the real deal,” she said. “I am grateful for my friends, family, and all of my coaches and teammates along the way, as this would not have been possible without their support.”  

“It’s surreal that I achieved my dream and that I’m going to the Paralympics, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she added.