KEENE, N.H. - Keene State's Sabra Hawkes will be a little late returning to campus next fall. The junior from Rockport, Mass., was one of 44 athletes that have been nominated to the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Track and Field Team that will compete in Paralympic Games in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17.

"I hope my professors understand," said Hawkes, who is currently training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in San Diego, California. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Hawkes, who was born with a mild case of cerebral palsy, qualified for the team at the Paralympic Team Trials held last week at Arizona State University's Sun Angel Stadium. Hawkes won the 100-meter dash and placed second in the 200-meter race.

Hawkes said she was riding an emotional roller coaster waiting to hear if she made the team. "First there was relief and then excitement," she said. "After four years of dreaming of the day my name would be added to the Beijing roster, it's finally a reality. I don't have to just dream about it anymore."

Hawkes's running dreams began during her sophomore year at Rockport High. Because Rockport was a small school that didn't have a track and field program, her mother, Pamela, searched online and found a meet in Canton for athletes with disabilities. Hawkes hasn't stopped running since, hiring a coach and training every day except Sunday, doing sprints drills and hitting the weight room.

"We knew she liked to run, so we wanted to give her the opportunity," said her father Brett Hawkes. "She seized the opportunity and ran with it."

Working with her coach Janda Ricci-Munn, a well-known tri-athlete, was an eye-opening experience for Hawkes and brought her to the next level. She began competing in able-bodied college meets as an unattached athlete.

Hawkes's first international event was the CP World Championships held at New London, Conn., in July 2005. The following year, she raced in the Para-World Championships in Assen, Holland. Competing at the Para-Pan American Games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, last fall, Hawkes won a gold medal in the 200m and silver in the 100m while setting American records.
In addition to her international meets, Hawkes has also competed for the Keene State track team the past two seasons. Owl Coach Peter Thomas calls Hawkes one his hardest working athletes. "Sabra works as hard as anyone on the team," said Thomas. "I give her the same workouts as everybody else, and she never blinks an eye."

"Running at this level is such a blessing to me because I get to wake up every day and do what I love to do," Hawkes said. "The drive comes from knowing that running makes me happy and having the ability to compete with the best in the world is a gift."

Hawkes will spend the rest of the summer preparing for the Paralympic Games. In addition to her track and weight workouts, she also hopes to compete in a few more meets before leaving with the team in August.

More than 4,000 elite athletes with a physical disability from around the world are expected to compete in the Games. The U.S. will field a team of 206 athletes who will compete in 18 sports.

"I'm definitely happy with what I've accomplished," said Hawkes, who is considering sociology or psychology as majors at KSC. "I get to be on teams, travel, and get to meet a lot of awesome, really inspirational people. I want to do this as long as I can."