From Team CSDR to Team Deaf USA.
How it started: Little Jada Zarembka doing cartwheels during basketball games. Her younger brother Darius picking ladybugs from off the field during football practices.
Jada bored, back then, by the idea of “ball sports.” And Darius, even after he’d picked up football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, pickleball, cycling, mountain biking and baseball not yet that his true hidden talent would be in track and field – at least not knowing it until his junior year at California School of the Deaf, Riverside.
How it’s going: Jada and Darius, now 20 and 18 years old, respectively, are headed to the Deaflympics in Tokyo from Nov. 15-26. She’s going as a member of the U.S. volleyball team; he as a high jumper.
Credit the CSDR community an assist, for helping to set up these kids for success, for identifying and encouraging these Zarembka siblings’ athletic talents, for serving as their resolute rooting section.
“Our CSDR community … supported us by bombarding us with positive words, praises, hopes, and more,” emailed Jada, noting that their teachers always made a point to discuss their athletic exploits. “So that is how I would describe the CSDR community: We cheer for each other 24/7.”
This isn’t the first time CSDR has sent siblings to the Deaflympics, the international event that began as the International Silent Games in 1924 in Paris. A couple of CSDR products – basketball-playing brothers, Noah and Jory Valencia – went to the Brazil games in 2022.
Now the Zarembkas, who both are attending Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., where they play volleyball and football, respectively, are on their way. Training and also raising money – via separate fundraisers mightycause.com/story/Zarembka and givebutter.com/USADVB/jadazarembka – to help cover travel, lodging, training camp and uniform expenses associated with the opportunity.
While we’re logging assists, give another to CSDR track and field coach Michael Spadey for recruiting Darius – also a football star for the Cubs team that won three consecutive CIF Southern Section 8-Person, Division 1 titles – to try one more new sport.
Via a Zoom interpreter, Darius told me: “Michael saw, like, ‘Look how high he can jump in basketball. What can he do in track?’ So he would watch my basketball games and say, ‘Whoa, you have got to join track!’”
“I knew Darius would do his best,” his mother, Jeannette said. “I just didn’t realize how far he would push himself.”
He was the first CSDR athlete in memory to compete at the CIF-SS Masters Meet, where the 6-foot-4 Darius cleared 6-4 and came up just shy of an historic CIF State bid. Had he been jumping against City Section or San Diego Section competition, he’d have punched his ticket to the great meet in Clovis.
“I was very disappointed,” Darius said. “I felt like I let myself down, my goal was to be 6-6.”
That remains his goal going into the Deaflympics: “I’m just barely there,” said Darius, who claimed a bronze medal in the high jump at the 2024 World Youth Deaf Athletics Championships in Taiwan.
Jada’s goal after having been part of the silver-medal team at 2024 World Deaf Volleyball Championship in Okinawa, Japan? “To get that gold medal,” wrote the middle blocker who left CSDR with all sorts of records in girls’ basketball and volleyball, the latter of which she still holds.
And to bring some of the CSDR spirit to Tokyo, where Jada will root on her brother – “even though he’s 6-4, he’s still my little brother.”
And where Darius will root on his role model – standout scholar, standout athlete – of a sister: “She’s very inspiring.”
And where a couple of CSDR Cubs reppin’ the USA, taking their place among the best deaf athletes in the world, will be a sign for the kids following in their footsteps: Hard work and dedication with a community behind you, believing and rooting you on? You’re bound to be golden, 6-6 no limit at all.
