Movin’ the Mavs, Movin’ His Life and Movin’ to Success with Maverick Pride
His spine was injured, but his optimism remained strong. His legs may be paralyzed, but his thoughts are bold. His heart is inculcated with a passionate fountain that rolls his chariot, while he hoops the baskets, aces his classes, loves his daughter and wife and lives his life simple and nice.
Sublime, optimistic and with no touch of pride for being a caring husband, loving father and a hardworking sportsman, Juan Soto is every inch a man of these qualities and perhaps more. He is a 31-year-old Army veteran, a senior advertising student at the University of Texas at Arlington, a Movin’ Mavs wheelchair basketball player and above all a man who is in love with life.
“I’m all about taking it easy, and I don’t demand much, and I just live simple,” Soto said. “What matters for me is being happy with whatever I do.”
He lives with his wife, Catherine Soto, 10-year-old daughter, Danyelle Soto, and two dogs in Arlington.
Soto has been at UT-Arlington for only three semesters and has already established himself among the top five student athletes. The Wheelchair Colleges Division recognized him as one of the top five players coming into the division last year.
After serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, he started working as a Dish T.V. installer in San Antonio.
On a cold rainy winter day in December 2003, three days before Christmas, he injured his spine in a car accident.
“I was just driving for work, I took my eyes off the road and suddenly the car just rolled up and here we are now, glad to be alive,” Soto said.
Soto was hospitalized for only three and a half weeks. He left the hospital with the same faith in himself and his family as he had before his accident. Since then, he has not taken any therapy or depression counseling. He said he believes bemoaning the accident is not prudent.
“It did suck for me, but it was worse for my family and I didn’t want to let them down in any way whatsoever, and out of the necessity of supporting my family I didn’t let my injury get in my way of being there for them,” Soto said.
He thanks his wife for her loving and caring attitude.
“My beautiful and brave wife had to take care of two babies, me and my daughter, who was only two years old at that time,” Soto said. “I couldn’t have made it this far without her.”
A year and a half after the accident, Soto started playing wheelchair basketball for San Antonio. He also participated in the National Veteran Wheelchair Games in Minnesota.
“I played my first game and we ended up winning a bronze in wheelchair basketball and this was the time I started developing more interest in wheelchair basketball,” he said.
UTA Movin’ Mavs Coach Dough Garner recognized Soto’s talent at the National Wheelchair game in Denver, when he was still playing for San Antonio.
After researching UTA’s adaptive sports programs, Soto was very excited about applying for it.
“The facilities and the history of the Movin’ Mavs program is amazing, and in our entire nation there are very few adaptive sports programs in universities that have locker rooms and separate facilities for their wheelchair basketball teams,” Soto said. “In fact, UTA Movin’ Mavs’ story is the history of the wheelchair basketball.”
“Juan is a quiet leader, a leader who makes those around him better, and his teammates enjoy playing with him on the court,” Garner said. “His growing confidence will help take him to the next level of intercollegiate division play in the coming months and Juan will help bring big things to the Movin’ Mavs in the coming seasons.”
Soto is a true maverick. His persistent defiance of not succumbing to the tragedies of life is an epitome of Maverick pride. He is working hard to be an Academic All-American and desires to represent his country at the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil.
“I want to be as good as I can and I have to do it as fast as I can, because I’ll be a 36-year-old man competing with very young athletes so I have to train harder and play faster,” Soto said.
Soto has high ambitions for his family and the UTA Movin’ Mavs program family.
“I think of my basketball team as my family and I work on the court and outside the court to serve in the best interests of my family,” Soto said.
He added that he is thankful to the UT Arlington’s adaptive sports program and said he plans to serve the program with sincerity and passion.
