Howard University Alumna Sydney Satchell to Go for Gold with Team USA’s Sitting Volleyball Team

Despite losing her leg following a 2015 car accident, Satchell never lost her purpose.

Monica Lewis
Jul 15, 2024 5 minutes

Sydney Satchell of the U.S. Sitting Volleyball Team

Sydney Satchell (B.A. ’14) is weeks away from heading to Paris where she will compete for gold as a member of the Team USA’s Sitting Volleyball team from August 28 through September 8.

“This is really the equivalent of the World Cup for our sport and there are now more eyes on our games, more sponsors, and more paralympic exposure in general,” Satchell said.

But as a child growing up in Windsor, Conn., Satchell dreamed of becoming the first Black woman to play on the U.S. lacrosse team in an Olympic game. A three-sport athlete throughout her childhood, Satchell played lacrosse, basketball, and soccer before eventually choosing to focus on lacrosse, which she played for three years while majoring in sports management at Howard University. After graduating, she started coaching lacrosse while working at the Berkshire School, a boarding school in Sheffield, Mass.

However, a car accident in January 2015 forever altered Satchell’s life. While driving to work, Satchell swerved on an icy road to avoid an oncoming pickup truck, hitting a tree in the process. Her left leg was pinned to the door. She was stuck in the vehicle for more than 40 minutes before being removed and taken to the nearest hospital. Only two of the three arteries in Satchell’s leg could be found as doctors worked to save her leg. After five surgeries, Satchell came to peace with the fact that amputation was necessary. Six weeks after the accident, her leg was amputated below the knee.

“There was a lot of crying, sadness, grief - all of the natural human emotions, but it didn’t last long,” Satchell said. “I was grateful that I had my family there and that, for the majority of my stays in the hospital, I had my own room and could set the atmosphere, which absolutely helped with how I handled this emotionally as well as physically and spiritually.”

It was really about me loving my body with its limitations and sharing my story with the people around me,”

Satchell’s New Athletic Normal

To resume coaching as she started physical therapy, Satchell’s employer renewed her contract, gave her on-campus housing, and assigned her a golf cart for accessible transportation.

“I was on crutches and using a prosthetic, but I was at peace,” said Satchell, reflecting on how she was intentional about wearing shorts that first summer following the amputation.

“It was really about me loving my body with its limitations and sharing my story with the people around me,” Satchell said. “I was now a part of a new (disabled) community, and I wanted to embrace it. I was learning a new normal and accepting that there’s joy after this.”

Satchell’s new normal included one love from her past – athletic competition. During a visit to her prosthetist, she was encouraged to consider becoming a Paralympian. Growing up a fan of the famed University of Connecticut women’s basketball team, Satchell initially considered wheelchair basketball, but, as a student, she was also a huge fan of Howard’s Volleyball team and decided to try sitting volleyball. In February 2016, she was invited to a sitting volleyball camp. By 2017, she relocated to Edmond, Okla. to start practicing with the national team. Satchell became an official member of The U.S. Women’s Sitting National Team and started participating in international competitions in 2019.

Now, nine years after her accident, Satchell’s childhood dream is being realized, albeit differently than she imagined. The U.S. Women’s Sitting National Team, which first appeared in the 2004 Paralympics in Athens with a bronze medal performance, has won gold in the last two games; 2016 in Rio and 2021 in Tokyo. Hopes are high for a three-peat and Satchell is excited to be a part of the 12-member team, especially after falling short of making the 2021 Paralympics team.

When we just use ‘Olympians’ and not ‘Paralympians,’ it robs us of the pride of being a paralympic athlete,”

Howard University Cheers on a Beloved Bison

While winning at the Olympics is her top priority, Satchell has proven to be a winner on both the volleyball court and in the game of life.

Howard University Athletics Director Kery Davis congratulated Satchell on becoming an Olympian. In 2017, Davis created the Sydney Satchell Award for Perseverance, one of the highest honors for a student athlete at the University.

“Sydney’s persistence and positive attitude throughout the last decade and especially during her pursuit for a spot on the Paralympic team has been truly inspirational,” said Davis.

“Sydney was a phenomenal student athlete when she was a student here, but she was also a great supporter and motivator for other student athletes, so we wanted to honor her with an award that speaks to the importance of never giving up because that’s really who she is. We cannot be prouder to see that Sydney’s hard work and resilience is paying off and we know that she’ll continue to excel and be an inspiration for other Bison to follow.”

Satchell is embracing the opportunity to advocate for people living with disabilities. Spectators return to the Olympics after worldwide COVID lockdown measures prevented large gatherings from attending the Tokyo Games. Satchell is excited to have family cheering her on including her mother Candace Chester Mafe (B.A. ’95) and aunt Chari Anderson (B.A. ’01, M.A. ’04).

“I’m really excited about the attention we’re getting and bringing light to who we are as paralympic athletes. When we just use ‘Olympians’ and not ‘Paralympians,’ it robs us of the pride of being a paralympic athlete,” Satchell said. “When I say I am a Paralympian, I shout it. The ‘para’ part is essential because it says that whoever you are, or whatever decision a person has to make, there’s space for you. Parents don’t have to put their children in a corner and people don’t have to end their lives because of this.”

“There is a place for athletic expression and a place to support professional athletic expression,” Satchell said. “I really do believe this exposure and our competitive skills will help people see how to live more well-rounded, complete lives, regardless of the conditions they may find themselves in.”