Dacula Athletes Win 'Triumph Of The Human Spirit' Award

DACULA, GA — Two athletes from Dacula were among those honored recently for changing lives — their own and others — through adaptive and Paralympic sports.

Cedric Geter and McClain Hermes were among 20 individuals recognized at BlazeSports America's annual Triumph of the Human Spirit Awards held at Primerica headquarters in Duluth.

The event recognized 20 people from across the state for their work changing the lives of children and adults with physical disabilities through adaptive and Paralympic sport.

Winners included athletes, coaches and volunteers from across the Atlanta area and ages ranging from teens to adults.

Geter is a former U.S. Army paratrooper and jumpmaster. As a multi-sport athlete, Cedric competes in hand cycling, archery, throwing field events and more.

He is an elite archer and is already throwing the shot put at an international elite level.

He competes in several veteran competitions including the Valor Games, Endeavor Games, Army Ten-Miler and the National Veteran Wheelchair Games.

At 15, Hermes was the youngest member of Team USA at the 2016 Paralympic Games.

She competed in Rio in various swimming competitions, and currently holds 17 American records and one World record in her classification.

In addition to her athletic wins, she also has a nonprofit called "Shoes for the Souls" through which she has collected and donated more than 15,000 pairs of shoes to the Atlanta Mission.

"Triumph of the Human Spirit" was adopted as the motto for the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, the same year BlazeSports America was created as the legacy organization of the Games.

Photos courtesy BlazeSports