BY STEPHANIE KELLY THOMPSON

Athleticism isn’t one-size-fits-all, and rarely do extraordinary things happen to people who are not willing to put in the work. Ann-Marie Willacker, of DeLand, is no exception. 

Willacker was already powerlifting in her 30s before a devastating reaction to a medication left her body ravaged with debilitating and degenerative arthritis in her hips, knees and spine. The result left her in a wheelchair with very limited use of her lower extremities. 

Reeling with how her life and her physical abilities had suddenly and drastically changed, Willacker stopped her training. 

But four years ago, she made a decision.

“I decided I was going to get back into strength sports, wheelchair be damned,” Willacker said.

“I met Ann-Marie at a local CrossFit competition in 2021,” Julie Kaidor, owner of CrossFit Envision in DeLand, said. “Ann-Marie was our first seated athlete. We learned what she could do and made accommodations for the rest.” 

CrossFit, a fitness regime, combines strength, endurance, flexibility and gymnastics to make for versatile and well-rounded competitors. 

While CrossFit is a high-intensity sport, it is also a sport that is adaptive enough for anyone who is just beginning or requires a modification. 

That proved to be a perfect fit for Willacker. 

She took the CrossFit world by storm, becoming a prominent and formidable adaptive athlete. At her first CrossFit competition in 2022, the Atlantic Coast Classic, Willacker came in first place in her division, an extraordinary start for any athlete in any sport.

But she didn’t stop at the Atlantic Coast Classic. The next year, Willacker came in second in her division at the 2023 WheelWOD games, a major competition for adaptive athletes. This year in the 2024 CrossFit semifinals, which were held individually at each affiliate, Willacker came in sixth globally in the Seated With Hip Function division out of 18 individuals, and 46 total in the seated adaptive category. 

That earned her a qualifying spot in the 2024 CrossFit Games, an internationally attended competition to find the fittest people in the world, to be held Sept. 19-22 in San Antonio. Think Super Bowl for CrossFit. 

“Competing on an elite, international stage challenges societal perceptions of disability and showcases the tenacity and creativity of the adaptive community,” Willacker said. 

CrossFit began a partnership with WheelWOD, an organization that specializes in athletes with disabilities (or adaptive athletes), in early 2023. This partnership was part of a broader effort by CrossFit to ensure that all athletes had representation. Willacker will be competing in the Seated with Hip Function division of the CrossFit Games, one of 15 divisions for adaptive athletes. 

“Many people with disabilities have been told by society, their doctors, even by their own friends and families, ‘You can’t,’ ‘You won’t,’ ‘You’ll never,’” Willacker said. 

CrossFit aims to prove them wrong.

“For me, CrossFit came at a time when I was coming to terms with my disability and what it meant for my day-to-day life,” Willacker said. “The community and acceptance I’ve found was like nothing I’d ever experienced.” 

Reaching the highest levels of competition would be difficult for any athlete, let alone one with limited range of motion.

“It takes consistent hard work, athletic skill, mental toughness, and determination to be a competitive athlete in the sport of CrossFit,” Kaidor said. “It takes all that plus reckless perseverance to be an adaptive athlete in the sport of CrossFit.”

And Willacker’s feats don’t stop at CrossFit.

CrossFit Envision at 3128 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand will host a 200 Ton Lift-Off at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 20, to raise money for Ann-Marie Willacker’s expenses for the CrossFit Games. As a community, they will lift 200 tons at the event. The more people who show up, the better! Participants can choose what lift (squat, deadlift, bench press) and how much weight/reps to contribute to the 200 tons. “We can’t wait to see 400,000 pounds be lifted by athletes who want to support Ann-Marie!” Julie Kaidor, owner of CrossFit Envision in DeLand, said. If you are unable to attend but would like to contribute, links for contributions and T-shirt purchases can be found at linktr.ee/amwadaptive. There will also be a raffle at the 200 Ton Lift-Off, where all proceeds will be going to Willacker’s fundraiser.

She is also a world record setter and a prominent community leader. Willacker holds eight world records in the Scottish Highland Games, the PanAM Masters Weightlifting Record for Clean and Press and Barbell Snatch, and the Florida State Masters Adaptive Powerlifting Record for Bench Press and Deadlift. 

On top of her impressive athleticism, she is active in the New World Celtics Volusia County Chapter and is the president of Volusia Pride. Willacker is also the coordinator of community impact at Stetson University.

She does not and will not let her disability stop her. 

“Society has ingrained in us that being disabled is a bad thing; a thing to be avoided. People look at you with a sense of pity for the ‘poor disabled person stuck in a chair, unable to move around freely,’” Willacker said. “The reality is, my wheelchair is freedom! Freedom to go out in the world, freedom to build social connections, freedom to be a productive member of my community.” 

Willacker’s triumphs are a reminder that strength has no limits.