How to Be a Paralympic Swimmer | Overcoming Visible Challenges with Faith w/ Gia Pergollini

Welcome to a brand new episode of the Collide Kids Podcast as we kick off Season 8 with an extraordinary guest, Gia Pergolini, a Gold Medalist Paralympic swimmer. Host Christen Clark explores Gia's inspiring journey of resilience and faith, highlighting how she competes at an elite level despite her visual impairment.

In this episode, Gia reveals how swimming gives her a sense of freedom and shares the impactful lessons she’s learned about overcoming obstacles. Her unwavering determination to not let her disability define her is a testament to her strength and spirit.

Be sure to also catch our new “Let’s Talk About It” segment—a set of questions designed to inspire family conversations beyond the podcast.

Let's dive into this episode with Gia Pergolini!

Clip Finder:

"Paralympics and Equality": "Okay, so Paralympics and Olympics are pretty much the same thing, but in Paralympics, you can compete with other athletes with similar disabilities as you."
— Gia Pergolini [00:06:51 → 00:07:00]

"Unseen Battles: Finally, my parents finally got the confirmation."
— Gia Pergolini [00:09:41 → 00:09:44]

"Surviving School with the Right Tools": "Yes, my video magnifier I got when I was in fourth grade, and let me tell you, I could have not survived middle school or high school without it."
— Gia Pergolini [00:11:24 → 00:11:33]

"Swimming with Visual Challenges": "Majority of the time I can see the flags. I just need like 50 goggles on hand with different shades and different tents to determine if I can see the flags or not."
— Gia Pergolini [00:13:41 → 00:13:50]

Breaking Barriers: "Through a lot of pain and determination for the final, I went a 10464 and got the world record and the Paralympic gold medal, which has been my best time since."
— Gia Pergolini [00:15:10 → 00:15:22]

Faith and Competition: "No matter what the turnout is, whether I win or lose, I know God has a path for me. And it's part of God's plan."
— Gia Pergolini [00:17:24 → 00:17:32]

"Faith and Triumph": "I would not be here today or have the success or experience these great accomplishments if it wasn't for God and giving me, I don't perceive it as a disease. I can't perceive it as a gift, because without it, I wouldn't be here talking to you, or I wouldn't be in Paris, and I wouldn't have met these amazing people and inspire kids with similar disabilities as."
— Gia Pergolini [00:19:10 → 00:19:36]

Finding Strength in Self-Acceptance: "Don't let your disability define who you are. That's one of the biggest lessons I've had to learn is I have need to accept myself for who I am to be successful."
— Gia Pergolini [00:20:09 → 00:20:22]

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Transcript

Christen Clark [00:00:21]:

Let's do it. Hey, y'all. Welcome to the Collide Kids Podcast Season 8. I'm your host, Christen Clark. The Collide Kids Podcast is a show for kids and families where we learn together how life and faith collide. I am so glad that you are joining us for our first episode back in season eight. Oh, man, it has been such a long time and I do apologize for that. We've had a lot of fun things and a lot of crazy things and a crazy busy schedule and a few bouts of the stomach flu.

Christen Clark [00:00:59]:

And you know what? Sometimes good things are better when you wait for them. So I hope to bring you something good today. I'm so excited about this new season and I can't wait for you to hear all the amazing guests that I have this month and coming very soon this season. So stay tuned. Make sure you're subscribed to this podcast on your favorite podcast app and on our YouTube channel. That's where you're going to see a lot of cool stuff. Well, I have a fun new segment I can't wait to tell you about. We're calling it let's Talk About It.

Christen Clark [00:01:30]:

It's a fun segment where we will ask three questions. They might be silly or imaginative or heartfelt or faith filled. And it's just to spark some great family conversation with parents and kids. So stick around to the end of the interview for that segment. Now, this does mean we're going to move the Kids Only segment. We're not getting rid of it because it's my favorite. I'm telling you, it's my favorite segment to see you guys send in your videos and audio of you telling jokes and singing songs. So we're just going to move it to our YouTube channel.

Christen Clark [00:02:02]:

So if you want to be on the Kids Only segment, that's going to be only on our YouTube channel. So you can still send all those Bible verses and jokes and songs and stories to me and then you'll be featured on a YouTube video version of this episode. I can't wait to see what you want to send me. And I can't wait to hear about you guys having great family conversation during the let's Talk about it segment. Well, if you're not subscribed to our newsletter, I hope that you will take some time to do that. Head over to the website collidekids podcast. Com. And you can subscribe to the newsletter right there, where you'll get all the information about upcoming episodes and giveaways and fun recipes and activities.

Christen Clark [00:02:40]:

I try to put some good stuff in there, so you guys have some great things to do together as a family. Well, I am so excited about this first episode of season eight, because I got to interview a very special person. Her name is Gia Pergolini. She is an American Paralympic swimmer. She represented the United States at the 2020 and the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games, where she won silver and gold medals. She's a resident of Roswell, Georgia, and a graduate of St. Francis High School. Currently, she is attending Florida International University and majoring in communication.

Christen Clark [00:03:17]:

Now, something special about Gia, she has Stargardt disease, which makes her visually impaired, and she's going to share a lot of that in her story today. She also represents the center for Visual Impairment, where she has received support and resources for years. In March, she will also be receiving the Sarah Wolf Spirit Award from CVI for demonstrating a courageous spirit and inspiring others. I know you guys are going to be inspired by this story. So here is my conversation with American Paralympic swimmer Gia Pergolini. Foreign I am so honored to have you on the Collide Kids podcast today.

Gia Pergolini [00:04:04]:

Yes, thank you for having me.

Christen Clark [00:04:07]:

Would you just introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do?

Gia Pergolini [00:04:11]:

Hi, my name is Gia Pergolini. I am a Paralympic swimmer. I've been doing swimming since I was 13 years old, and I was born and raised in Roswell, Georgia, and I'm currently 20 years old in my junior year in college. So figuring out life right now. But in the meanwhile, I've been swimming my heart out and talking to amazing people like yourself, so.

Christen Clark [00:04:36]:

Oh, thank you. That's awesome. Now, where do you go to college?

Gia Pergolini [00:04:40]:

I go to fiu, Florida International University in Miami. But right now, for my junior year, I'm online.

Christen Clark [00:04:46]:

Okay.

Gia Pergolini [00:04:47]:

Staying in Georgia and then maybe go back to Miami my senior year. But right now I'm being with family and training in Georgia right now.

Christen Clark [00:04:56]:

That's really cool. I did online school, and so I know how that is and how. Yeah, it's really nice to be able to still be in my pajamas and, you know. Yeah, so that's great that you get to do that. Although I did miss some of the interaction, like, with fellow students. That's tough. But. Yeah.

Christen Clark [00:05:12]:

But definitely being able to sit in my pajamas was very nice. Okay, Well, I am really excited to talk to you, especially about the Paralympics. I think this is so cool. But before we do that, because this is a show for kids, I always ask my guests to tell me a joke. So do you have a joke for us today?

Gia Pergolini [00:05:27]:

Yes, I do. It's a really cheesy dad joke, but okay.

Christen Clark [00:05:31]:

I love those.

Gia Pergolini [00:05:32]:

What is a pirate's favorite letter?

Christen Clark [00:05:35]:

Ooh. Is it R?

Gia Pergolini [00:05:37]:

C? It's.

Christen Clark [00:05:40]:

Oh, you got me. It's C. That's true. I like that one. That's a good one. And it's a water joke. Very good. Very good.

Christen Clark [00:05:49]:

Tie in to what you're doing.

Gia Pergolini [00:05:50]:

That's awesome. Yeah.

Christen Clark [00:05:52]:

Okay, so first, tell me how you got started in swimming.

Gia Pergolini [00:05:55]:

What.

Christen Clark [00:05:55]:

What is it about swimming that you love?

Gia Pergolini [00:05:57]:

I am the youngest of two older brothers. Like, they're much older than me, 15 to 17 years older. And they would throw me in the pool when I was, like, a toddler and just mess around with me. And I didn't know how to swim. They would just throw me around. They definitely contribute my success to them. But I always loved the water, and my mom was like, before this girl drowns, let's say, like, put her into some swimming lessons. So ever since then, I've been doing swimming lessons, and I just fell in love with the water.

Gia Pergolini [00:06:28]:

And I started my first year around swim team when I was 6 years old and haven't stopped since. And then I got into Paralympic swimming when I was 13 and then just really didn't stop there. So.

Christen Clark [00:06:40]:

Yeah, for real, you've had some amazing accomplishments with the Paralympics. Okay, so first we need to talk about that. What is Paralympic? What is that? What's the difference between that and, like, the Summer Olympics?

Gia Pergolini [00:06:51]:

Okay, so Paralympics and Olympics are pretty much the same thing, but in Paralympics, you can compete with other athletes with similar disabilities as you. So we get to experience the same thing as Olympians. We get to. Well, we're getting there. But when it comes to every four years going to the Olympics, we have the same venues as the Olympians, and we can compete at a high level. So I went to Tokyo and I went to Paris, and I compete against girls with similar visual impairments as me. So in Paralympics, there's all different types of classifications for athletes with different disabilities. Obviously, I'm not going to compete with someone that has a missing leg, because that would not be fair.

Gia Pergolini [00:07:35]:

So people with a missing limb can also compete with other people with missing limbs. So it really just depends on your classification. It ranges from. In swimming, it ranges from S1 to S14. And so being S1 and S10, those are physical disabilities. And then S11 through S13, those are visual impairment classification. And then S14 are athletes with slight autism. So we.

Gia Pergolini [00:08:01]:

We can travel the world, compete at high levels with other amazing athletes, and it's just a huge. It's a huge honor representing this country in the Paralympics.

Christen Clark [00:08:13]:

That's so cool. And I love that you guys get to compete in the same venues. So it comes right after the Olympics. So right after the Summer Olympics took place, the Paralympics happened weeks after.

Gia Pergolini [00:08:23]:

Yep.

Christen Clark [00:08:23]:

Okay. Very cool. And I'm glad, too, because they work so hard to build those facilities, and then they still get good use after a few weeks. So that's good.

Gia Pergolini [00:08:31]:

Where there's some rumors that in la that we might not have the same venue, which is a little disappointing, but we're still fighting for equality in the Paralympics. But it's really has come far away from when I was 13 to now, and it's just been an amazing journey with these friends and relationships I made.

Christen Clark [00:08:52]:

That's awesome. I love that. Now, you did mention that you have a visual impairment. Can you talk a little bit about that, what that is? And how was that from when you were born, or did that start later in life?

Gia Pergolini [00:09:02]:

So, yeah, I have a genetic eye disease called Stargardt's disease, and I was born with it, but we didn't really know it was a problem until I was in kindergarten when I started grade school, when I had to see the board and I couldn't see the board like all the other kids. And we went to so many eye doctors to figure out what was wrong with me, and they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. And then it wasn't until fourth grade we went to an eye specialist that looked in the back of my eye and saw my Stargardt's disease. And it's really cool when you see the picture. It's like a little stain in the back of your eye. It's kind of cool. Not cool, but it was really cool to look at. Finally, my parents finally got the confirmation.

Gia Pergolini [00:09:44]:

Like, yeah, she does have a disease, a Stargardt's disease. But then that opens a new obstacle of how are we going to support her? How are we going to help her out in school and in life? And that's when my mother discovered the center for Visually Impaired. And they have been a huge support in helping me regain the confidence I needed to go out with life and helping me see things that I couldn't see before with my video magnifier. So it's been. It's been great.

Christen Clark [00:10:12]:

Yeah, that's amazing. And I love that you found support, because sometimes people that can be very isolating to not have that and your family surrounding you with that as well. So tell me a little bit more about this. So you're not completely blind. You can still see a little bit.

Gia Pergolini [00:10:27]:

Yeah. So Stargardt's disease, basically, the best way I can explain it without being super scientific, even though I can't really explain it scientifically. So I can see peripherally, like, the center of my eye. I have two blind spots. So right now I'm looking at the screen, but I can't see your face at all unless I, like, position my eye in a certain way where I can see you. I can only see. I can see around you. So I can see there's two chairs right between the computer.

Gia Pergolini [00:10:56]:

Not you. I can see that, but I can't see your face very well. It's kind of a big blur. But, yeah, as long as I position my eyes in a certain way, then I could see you. But I want to make sure I'm looking directly at the camera. I'm being like.

Christen Clark [00:11:14]:

Like, here I am.

Gia Pergolini [00:11:15]:

Yeah, here I am.

Christen Clark [00:11:16]:

But, yes, that's interesting. And so. So you said you talked about you have, like, a video magnifier, so you have, like, different things that help you to see.

Gia Pergolini [00:11:24]:

Yes, my video magnifier I got when I was in fourth grade, and let me tell you, I could have not survived middle school or high school without it. It's super portable. You can fit it in your backpack. It was so nice. It was like a computer, and you just whip it out and you put it on a piece of paper, and it'll zoom in, and you can change the contrast or zoom in and out. And it was really great because it was really small, and being in middle school and high school, there was my own insecurities that I've had with my vision. It was like a computer. Like, it made me feel very comfortable in the classroom.

Gia Pergolini [00:11:57]:

I didn't feel like there were eyes on me all the time of, like, ooh. Especially, like, younger kids in middle school, you know, like, what is that? But no, it's been a huge support for me, and it's definitely helped me succeed academically.

Christen Clark [00:12:12]:

That's great, because I think. I think a lot of times we assume, like, that people with disabilities, they need their own space or their own classes and things like that. But it's so helpful for you to be able to be included with everyone else, right?

Gia Pergolini [00:12:25]:

Yeah, I wanted to be included with everyone else. Me, personally, I, I like being in that environment and being able to answer questions in the classroom was really nice instead of being separated from everyone else.

Christen Clark [00:12:41]:

So how does that work with your swimming? Like, how do you, how do you overcome this visual impairment while you swim?

Gia Pergolini [00:12:48]:

So, fortunate enough, for me, I don't really need that much assistance when it came to swimming. I think that's one of the main things that drew me to swimming is because I felt so free and opened and I didn't feel like I had to overcome a bunch of obstacles to swim, which, yeah, there's some struggles with the flag. So in backstroke, I'm a backstroker. And to figure out when you're near the wall because you're swimming on your back, you can't see the wall. There's these flags that indicate where you are in the pool. And so when you see the flags, that means you're like three strokes from the wall. So you take three strokes and flip. Now, sometimes I can't see the flags.

Gia Pergolini [00:13:31]:

It really depends on the lighting, the pool vent. There's so many factors that can go in with my vision to help me see the flags or not. Majority of the time I can see the flags. I just need like 50 goggles on hand with different shades and different tents to determine if I can see the flags or not. So I, I usually have that, those on hand, but that's kind of the only thing that I have a struggle with when swimming. Other than that, I'm a pretty able body swimmer. I went to a D1 college for swimming, so I didn't really need assistance. Like, there's some people in Paralympic swimming with visual impairments that need tappers to indicate if they're close to the.

Gia Pergolini [00:14:11]:

Close to the wall. So there's, it's like a big stick with a pool noodle head on the end and you tap the person's head when they're close to the.

Christen Clark [00:14:20]:

Oh, so they don't crash. Right?

Gia Pergolini [00:14:22]:

So they don't crash. So sometimes, sometimes other athletes need that, but I don't need that. It's really great for me because swimming, I don't need a lot of assistance, which I appreciate. I can't see the clock, so I can't see if my times are good or not unless I get out of the pool and ask someone.

Christen Clark [00:14:38]:

Right. You have to find out.

Gia Pergolini [00:14:39]:

Yeah. And then I find I'm like, ooh, yeah.

Christen Clark [00:14:42]:

So what has been your best time so far?

Gia Pergolini [00:14:44]:

Yeah, in 2021, Tokyo, I did the a hundred meter backstroke, which is my best event, and I went a 104:64, which was my first time going under 105 because I was stuck at 105 for the longest time. I went 105 at prelims, 105:5. And I was like, are you kidding me? And I was like, I was 5, 100th of a second off. I'm like. And through a lot of pain and determination for the final, I went a 104:64 and got the world record and the Paralympic gold medal, which has been my best time since I went a 104:9 in Paris, which I was really happy with. But the 104:64 was my, my best.

Christen Clark [00:15:30]:

That's awesome. That's so cool. So you're a gold medalist. That's really neat. You have a gold. So did you get the same gold medal that the Olympians got? Like with the. Doesn't have a piece of the Eiffel Tower in it?

Gia Pergolini [00:15:41]:

Yes. In Tokyo we didn't get the same medals. We. They're still gorgeous medals. Don't get me wrong. We got really good medals in Tokyo, but they weren't the same ones as the Olympians. But, but in Paris, I saw the design that the Olympians got and I was like, oh, I want that. I was like, I was like, I want that piece of the Eiffel Tower.

Gia Pergolini [00:16:04]:

So, yes, when I got it, I was like, I looked, I'm like, oh, thank God. I'm like, it looks just like the Olympians. And the difference between the Olympic and Paralympic for Paris is Paralympic has Braille on it. Oh. So for the visual impairment athletes that can read Braille. I can't read braille, but they can read their event number on the metal, so that's amazing. So mine would have the a hundred meter backstroke on it. And then I got a silver medal in the 50 free, so that would say 50 free.

Christen Clark [00:16:35]:

So tell us a little bit about your faith, like how does your faith in God play into being a swimmer and, and competing at this level?

Gia Pergolini [00:16:44]:

So I grew up Catholic, my family's Catholic, so I've always had that faith. A part of me in God, a part of me my whole life, fortunately. And my faith is probably the most important part that plays into competing in my competition in my day to day life. Every Paralympic Games, my friend, who's also Catholic, would come to me and pray before our events because our events would be on the same day, our biggest event. So she would swim the 400 free and I would swim the hundred back. And we would always pray beforehand and say a quick Prayer. And I always have to remind myself in the ready room that no matter what the turnout is, whether I win or lose, I know God has a path for me. And it's part of God's plan.

Gia Pergolini [00:17:32]:

And I just need to trust in his plan and everything will work out. I always try to remind myself when I'm going through hard times, if I'm struggling, God will always have some sort of lesson for me. So every time I look back in the past and I find myself going through hard times by. I lost my hair when I was in high school, and I went through hard times in middle school. And I remember looking back at it and being like, you know, all those things that have happened have turned out to be the best for me. And I always have to remind myself like, that was God. Like, you might be going through these hard times right now, but trust me, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. And every time when I'm in the present, if I'm going through a hard time, I always have to remind myself there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and God will have a plan for me, and I just need to follow and trust in his path.

Christen Clark [00:18:27]:

Yeah. You know, I heard somebody say once, too, that God takes our mess and he makes it our message. And so when there's things that happen in our life that are not good that we don't wish for, he's able to use those things to help someone else or to help us to be stronger for the next thing he has for us. And I see that in you. I think God's really used a lot of things in your life to spur you on. Who knows how. How far you would have gotten in swimming had you not had this visual impairment, you know?

Gia Pergolini [00:18:53]:

Yes. That's why I tell everyone I contribute all my success to God. I mean, when I won my gold medal in Paris, like, the first thing I did was make the sign of the cross and the pool. And everyone who. When I tell them of my disability and they're sympathetic towards me, I always have to remind them. I'm like, I would not be here today or have the success or experience these great accomplishments if it wasn't for God and giving me, I don't perceive it as a disease. I can't perceive it as a gift, because without it, I wouldn't be here talking to you, or I wouldn't be in Paris, and I wouldn't have met these amazing people and inspire kids with similar disabilities as. So I really think I'm very grateful that God has given me this path to showcase what having a disability can do.

Christen Clark [00:19:46]:

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's awesome. So I'm thinking too about people that are listening right now. Maybe they have family members or maybe they have someone, you know, one of their kids or. Or one of their family members they know of is struggling with a visual disability. How would you encourage them? What would you tell them to do?

Gia Pergolini [00:20:03]:

I would say come to center for Visually Impaired, come to cvi. And also don't let your disability define who you are. That's one of the biggest lessons I've had to learn is I have need to accept myself for who I am to be successful. And so I wouldn't have been able to do that if I didn't educate myself with my body and my vision. So definitely finding out that I had Sterger's disease was definitely a stepping point. And I think with parents that can see their kids struggling visually or a child is struggling visually, just trying to figure out a way to help them and come to like a place like cvi, especially if you're near the Atlanta area. Educating yourself and finding ways to help you is such a beautiful thing to me. So don't let it destroy you.

Gia Pergolini [00:20:59]:

I guess that's kind of like in middle school there was a point where I was like a little sad, but I had to remind myself like I wouldn't be here and I probably wouldn't be as strong as I am today if it wasn't for that.

Christen Clark [00:21:14]:

So, yeah, I think that's encouragement for anyone even if they don't have a disability. We all have things we have to overcome and we can't let those things destroy us or define us. You know, we can move forward and we always need to ask others for help. You know, we are. We're not made to be isolated and by ourselves all the time. We need other people. We need other people to help and to be a part of the greater good. We're gonna do that in community the best way.

Christen Clark [00:21:39]:

So I think that's a good encouragement for everyone that's listening too. So tell us a little bit more about your goals for the future. Are you gonna keep competing? Are you gonna keep trying to go to the next Olympics in la?

Gia Pergolini [00:21:52]:

Yeah. So right now I just got a new coach. He's amazing. His name's Chatham and I've been working with him. Slowly getting back into swimming. I took a well deserved, needed break after Paris, so I'm slowly getting back into it. Struggling a little bit, but, you know, building back my strength. And I am planning on going for LA if my body is healthy in four years.

Gia Pergolini [00:22:18]:

I am so down to go to la and that's what my goal is. My other coach, Larry, who I've been working with Since I was 13 years old, he's my weight trainer coach. It's a love hate relationship for sure.

Christen Clark [00:22:33]:

I can see that.

Gia Pergolini [00:22:34]:

I love him, but he, yeah, he pushes me. But yeah, I've been working with him and so just trying to keep my body healthy and yeah, working through it.

Christen Clark [00:22:45]:

That's awesome. I'm so excited for you and I, I hope that in four years we get to cheer you on in la. That's going so fun.

Gia Pergolini [00:22:52]:

Thank you. I love your support.

Christen Clark [00:22:54]:

So how can our listeners find out more about you? Do you have a website or social media we can follow?

Gia Pergolini [00:23:00]:

I have social media, I have my Instagram. @Gia.Pergolini. I love Instagram, but that's kind of the only social media platform I'm working with right now. My mom was like, you need to go on Facebook. You need to do that. I'm like, no, I like, I can't handle that.

Christen Clark [00:23:17]:

It's a lot.

Gia Pergolini [00:23:18]:

It is Instagram. And of course, course, if anyone else is interested, the center for Visually Impaired in Atlanta is also an amazing website to go and look at.

Christen Clark [00:23:29]:

Yes, definitely. Go check them out. That would be a great support, especially if you live in this area. Well, Gia, this has been so good talking with you. I'm so encouraged by your story and I'm hoping that lots of people hear this and are encouraged as well. Before I let you go, I always ask my guests to tell me a memory from when they were a kid. So aside from your brothers throwing you in the pool, what, what member you want to share with us today? Oh my gosh.

Gia Pergolini [00:23:53]:

This is a little. Shows my personality a little bit, but I was really feisty little fourth grader. I. I'm very protective of the people I love. So one time I was leaving school and I have a family friend that helps and drives my family around. And he actually dropped me off today and I was telling him, like, I need to figure out a story. He told me to tell this story.

Christen Clark [00:24:17]:

Okay.

Gia Pergolini [00:24:18]:

But I was walking out of school and he's like, gee, over here. And I knew him because he's been working with my family since I was born. He's like a dad to me. And I get in the car and there's these two women that are just like staring at him and like giving him dirty looks. And I heard him, them whisper like, is she safe. Blah, blah, blah, blah. And I. I had one foot in the minivan, and I turned around, and I said, his name is James, and he's been driving us for the past 15 years.

Gia Pergolini [00:24:52]:

And I turned back around, and James was like, oh, my God. And he closed the door. He's like, chia, fine. It's fine. I was like, they need to get a life. And so he was like, chia, it's okay. It's okay. And so I'm very protective over people I love, and I'm the only one that's allowed to make fun of him.

Christen Clark [00:25:16]:

So I love that.

Gia Pergolini [00:25:17]:

Yeah, I love James. And then he drove me home and then immediately calls up my dad and says, never let me mess with that girl ever again. I. She is scary, so.

Christen Clark [00:25:29]:

And those women will never question that again. Like, you're fine. You're fine. Whatever car you get into, I'm sure you're fine.

Gia Pergolini [00:25:36]:

Yeah, yeah. I'm like, it's poor for the driver, not me.

Christen Clark [00:25:40]:

That's right. That's right.

Gia Pergolini [00:25:41]:

But, yeah, I love that. Tell you that story. I'm like, okay, I will.

Christen Clark [00:25:45]:

That's a good one. Thanks for sharing that, James.

Gia Pergolini [00:25:49]:

James would tell you right now, he was like, don't mess with her.

Christen Clark [00:25:53]:

Don't mess with Gia. I love that. Well, Gia, thank you so much for being on the show today. It was great meeting you.

Gia Pergolini [00:25:59]:

Thank you. You as well. I really appreciate it.

Christen Clark [00:26:10]:

What an incredible story. So inspirational that she's just done so much. She's very driven, and she has such a fun personality. That was so fun getting to talk with her. She said swimming helped her feel more free and able to do anything without having to overcome issues because of her disability. So swimming became this great thing in her life. I love that she said that she trusted God's plan, and she was thankful that God allowed her to go through hard times and struggles and her journey to competing so he could use her to help and inspire others going through similar struggles and obstacles to overcome. Gia considers her disability a gift, and she attributes her successes and experiences at the Paralympics to having a disability because it gave her the drive and the passion to overcome.

Christen Clark [00:26:59]:

And I love how she's been able to find so many resources and support to help her overcome her visual impairment. We will link the information for the CVI in the show notes so you can learn more about this amazing organization. Well, now it's time for our family conversation, so let's talk about it. Here are the three questions that you can talk about as a family. You can pause after each question. Or you can listen to the questions and then talk about them later. Here we go. First, Gia mentioned she does the backstroke.

Christen Clark [00:27:32]:

How many swimming strokes or styles can you name now? Let me give you a hint. There's more than 10. So let's see who in the family can name the most swimming strokes or styles. You have to look it up on Wikipedia to see if you're right. All right, number two, describe what you think it would be be like to win a gold medal. And number three, what is something you learned from God during a hard situation in your life? I hope those are conversation starters for you and your family where you can learn something new and grow together as a family. Well, don't forget if you would like to be on the Kids Only segment on our YouTube channel, just head over to colidekidspodcast.com and you can learn more about how to share that with me so that we can put you on an episode. We would love to do that.

Christen Clark [00:28:22]:

We need lots of people to turn those in, so please do. And while you're on the website, be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter and follow us on social media. I'm on Facebook at the Collide Kids Podcast or on Instagram @collidekidspod and share today's episode with someone who might need to hear it. And don't forget that a great way to support any podcast is to leave a rating and review. So if you can just take a few seconds to leave a rating and a review on your favorite podcast app when you do that, it really does help other people find out about the show. And I always love reading those and hearing what you think about it. And anytime you think about it, I always appreciate your prayer support as well. I hope you guys have a great week.

Christen Clark [00:29:02]:

Thanks so much for being back with us and I look forward to chatting with you next week. In case no one has told you today, I would love to be the first to remind you that God loves you so much. Thanks for listening.