LANSING, MI – Silver Bells and silver medals will be celebrated in Lansing this holiday season.
Organizers of the annual party in Michigan’s capital announced Tuesday that Jayci Simon, 19, of St. John’s will serve as the Grand Marshal of this year’s Electric Light Parade, the centerpiece of the celebration which is now in its 40th year.
Simon — along with partner Miles Krajewski, of Yankton, S.D. — became one of the first Americans ever to medal in Paralympic badminton at the Summer Games in Paris this summer, earning silver in the SH6 mixed doubles competition for shorter athletes.
The duo beat a highly experienced Chinese team of 30-plus-year-olds Naili Lin and Fengmei Li in the finals, falling just short of gold.
Simon has been honored repeatedly since returning from Europe, featuring in the St. Johns High School homecoming parade and celebrated by Lansing Community College, where she is currently a sophomore, with a parade and ceremony on Oct. 28.
The daughter of Chad and Amy Simon, she was born with acromicric dysplasia, an extremely rare skeletal condition with only around 60 cases reported worldwide.
The condition is characterized by delayed bone maturation leading to dwarfism. She stands in at just 3-feet, 9 ¾-inches tall.
“But she has never been one to think small,” a news release said. “Simon has always set sturdy goals for herself, explaining before her first match in Paris her philosophy that, “No dream is ever too big.”
She was exposed to badminton at the age of 11 at a Little People of America sports camp. Since then, she’s enjoyed an incredible rise in the sprot despite not having a dedicated coach or facility to train at for most of her career.
Going forward, she hopes to be a visible ambassador for dwarfism, badminton and general health and wellness initiatives.
The 27th annual Electric Light Parade begins at the corner of Lenawee Street and South Washington Square in Lansing at 6 p.m. on Nov. 22.
A complete schedule of events can be found here.
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