Kevin Polish

Lore & Background

Kevin Polish began archery at age three under the guidance of his father, Kevin Sr., who owned an archery shop. He started competing at age eleven. On October 9, 1999, Polish went deer hunting with friends. After three hours, while driving on a dirt track road at 30 mph, a flock of turkeys crossed in front of his car. He swerved to avoid the birds, applied the brakes, and the car went off the road into a 100-foot embankment. Polish regained control before the car struck a 2-foot tree stump, causing the vehicle to jackknife and roll multiple times down the hill. He was thrown from the car despite wearing a seatbelt; the impact was so severe that the seatbelt broke and the buckle detached. He hit a tree and broke his back. After hitting the ground, he heard his friends calling. When he put his hands on the ground to push himself up, he heard a "pop." He had only his chest off the ground, but the middle part of his body was turned around. He grabbed a part of his leg but could not feel anything. Paramedics used the jaws of life to extract him from the tree.

Polish stayed in the hospital for four months, from October 1999 to January 2000. For the first two weeks, he could not speak or open his eyes. Doctors diagnosed a broken back from T7 to T10 and inserted screws, bolts, and clamps to repair his spine. They told him he would not be able to sit or stand. Despite this prognosis, Polish returned to competitive archery in 2000 after his rehabilitation. He won his first medal at the 2005 World Archery Championships, competing alongside Dave Cousins and Braden Gellenthien.

Reader's Guide

Kevin Polish's story is defined by his return to archery after a catastrophic car crash that broke his back from T7 to T10. The crash occurred on October 9, 1999, when he swerved to avoid turkeys on a dirt road, causing his car to roll down a 100-foot embankment. He was thrown from the vehicle, and the seatbelt broke. Doctors told him he would not be able to sit or stand, yet he resumed competitive archery in 2000 following rehabilitation. His first medal came at the 2005 World Archery Championships, where he was part of a team with Dave Cousins and Braden Gellenthien. Polish's career illustrates a return to sport after severe spinal injury, with his early start in archery at age three and his father's archery shop providing a foundation. The crash and subsequent recovery are central to his biography, as the notes detail the specific circumstances of the accident and the medical interventions that followed. His Paralympic career is notable for this trajectory from life-altering injury to international competition.

Did You Know?

• Kevin Polish began archery at age three, taught by his father who owned an archery shop.
• He was thrown from his car during a crash despite wearing a seatbelt, which broke on impact.
• Doctors told Polish he would not be able to sit or stand after breaking his back from T7 to T10.