Zion Redington
- Number: 44
- Classification: 3.5
- Hometown: Birmingham, AL
Bio: Known by his teammates as “Z,” Zion Redington is one of the youngest members of USA Wheelchair Rugby. However, don’t let his young age fool you. Redington has been playing wheelchair rugby longer than some of his senior teammates. Growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, he first hopped in a rugby chair at the age of 9. After several years playing at the USWRA club level with the Cumberland QuadCrushers under the guidance of Hall of Famer and two-time Paralympian Eddie Crouch, he and his family moved to Birmingham, Alabama so Redington could train full-time at Lakeshore Foundation. If you’ve ever seen – or heard – him play, you know that Redington loves to make big, loud hits on the court. As one of the younger athletes on the team, he is hungry to learn from his teammates and coaches and push himself to become a better athlete every chance he gets. While making the USAWR roster has been his biggest accomplishment so far, the sky is the limit for this young upstart. Redington’s story actually starts well before his introduction to wheelchair rugby. Born in China with a disability called ectrodactyly, he spent the first two years of his life in an orphanage. After seeing his photograph on an adoption agency’s website, Redington’s adoptive mother moved quickly to complete the adoption process, and he was in his home in America within a few months. At the age of six, Redington’s feet were amputated to provide him greater mobility. Since then, he has used prosthetics or a wheelchair to get around. Currently, the high school junior lives with his mom, step-dad, older brother and sister, and his two dogs. When he’s not training at Lakeshore (which is almost every day), Redington likes to spend time with his family and friends and try out new restaurants around town. He’s always up to head to Chick-Fil-A, too!