Mason Symons ’07
Wheelchair rugby player Mason Symons ‘07’s journey from Milton Hershey School to the 2024 Paralympic Games included successes and failures, determination and self-doubt, and a passion for serving his country on the national stage.
During Symons’ first year at MHS, his future was cloudy. He was unsure why his mother sent him to a residential school and how he would succeed. When terrorists hijacked American airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, Symons found his purpose in the tragedy. He knew he wanted to join the United States Army and protect his country.
The Army demands its soldiers to be physically and mentally fit and to have good moral standing. Symons needed to work on those character traits, and his MHS teachers, coaches, and houseparents were eager to help. He became a standout on the wrestling mat and was named Mid-Penn Capital All-Star and a PIAA State Qualifier. He also focused on his academic work and completed an internship at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Training Academy.
While at MHS, Symons learned a lesson from a celebrity with whom he would later have much in common, actor Christopher Reeve. The featured speaker at an all-school assembly achieved stardom for playing Superman before becoming wheelchair-bound after a horseback riding accident. Reeve died in 2004.
“That was one of my pivotal times in high school,” Symons said. “I learned don’t take things for granted, don’t be lazy, do what you need to do, and don’t complain about it.”
Six years after setting his goal to join the United States Army, Symons graduated from MHS and enlisted. He served for two years until a motorcycle crash caused a spinal cord injury and paralysis. Symons was 20 years old, and the journey he traveled for nine years was suddenly no longer achievable.
“I didn’t handle my situation well. I was supposed to be a soldier, a protector, and all of that was taken from me. I was lost,” he recalls. “I still give myself a lot of tough love about how I reacted.”
Symons eventually realized that even though he could no longer be a soldier, there were many more ways he could make his life meaningful. He discovered wheelchair rugby and joined the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.
The sport is difficult, but Symons already had the keys to success thanks to his MHS education. Rugby also helped propel his life into a more positive direction from the dark days he faced after the crash.
“Like wrestling, you have to be able to adapt on the fly when playing rugby,” he said. “I had to use that same skill in my life. Just because I can’t walk does not mean I cannot do other things. I still go skydiving.”
As he had in seventh grade when he decided to join the Army, Symons set a new goal—to qualify for the Team USA Wheelchair Rugby Team. He first tried out in 2014 and was cut from the team. Symons experienced the same outcome at tryouts for the next seven years until he finally achieved his goal in 2022.
“It was kind of surreal,” he said. “I told myself that I would never surrender, and I would not accept defeat.”
The Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games kick-off Aug. 28. While representing his country on the court, Symons will focus on the game; off the court, he will prepare by remembering why he was determined to make the team.
“MHS is a big part of that. Statistics show that kids who grew up in situations like I did shouldn’t be successful,” he said. “MHS ignores all of that hearsay and believes in us.”
He will also be thinking about his fellow veterans and beloved “Oma”—the German word for grandmother—who died earlier this year.
Symons also helps others by volunteering with Oscar Mike, a non-profit organization that helps injured veterans stay motivated.
“We help them push themselves past their self-imposed limits,” he said. “We emphasize that everyone is going through something but if you can tune into yourself and make the best of what you have, you have the power to pick up others around you.”
Symons encourages all MHS students to discover their passions and work hard to achieve their goals.
“Fully embrace all the opportunities MHS gives you,” he said. “Everyone who works at the school is not only trying to lead students to become better individuals but also find a place in society where they can help others.”