Most athletes have countless people behind the scenes helping them be their best. For Rose Hollermann, those people are her parents, and she's dedicating her upcoming Rio Paralympic competition to her mom and dad.
NBC 5 caught up with the student-athlete on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington.
"I mean, my parents mean everything to me. My whole family does, back in Minnesota," said Hollermann. "They're the thing that I'm competing for in Rio, and the thing that I think about when I'm going into train is my parents and my family back home."
Hollermann came to school at UTA on scholarship to play for the Lady Movin' Mavs wheelchair basketball team. During a scrimmage she set up with both men's and women’s Movin' Mavs players, we noticed an obvious difference in her personality: off the court the future elementary school teacher is super friendly, but on the court she's fierce.
"I guess I like going fast and hitting people, banging chairs and stuff. That's my favorite part," said Hollermann, with a laugh.
Her teammate, Darlene Hunter, Ph.D., explained one reason why Hollermann is a great teammate.
"She'll beat people down the court and we just throw it to her and she scores the layup, so she makes the rest of our job a little bit easier," Hunter said.
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The two played together in 2012 at the Paralympic Games in London, just barely missing a medal. However, Hunter is already looking forward to watching Hollermann compete in the Paralympic Games again in four years.
"I'm really excited to watch, for even 2020, when she's gonna be probably the best in the world," said Hunter.
Hollermann credits her competitive spirit and work ethic to her mom and dad.
"Like, every day my dad would be like, 'You have to go shoot, you have to go lift, you have to go push,'" remembered Hollermann. "My mom would be driving me to go lift with some trainers that she would get me, or would make me go push on the trails, or just like everything to make sure that I was working as hard as I needed to be, and it's thanks to my parents that I learned that, and that I'm doing that because of them."
She started playing wheelchair basketball at just 7 years old, two years after a car accident took the lives of her two older brothers and forever limited her ability to walk.
"I think my disability was a blessing to me. It was something that I don't know if I'd be in college right now if it weren't for my disability, I don't know," said Hollermann. "I for sure wouldn't be competing at the level I am right now if it weren't for that because it's been a really big motivator throughout my entire life."
More recently, her motivation helped the UTA Lady Movin' Mavs win a national championship.
Now, her sights are set on Rio, with her upcoming performance backed by a lifetime of love and support from her parents.
"If I were to win a gold medal, I would, like, give it to my parents," said Hollermann. "Because I think ... like they are what it means to me."
The Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro begin Sept. 7.
