JACQUI KAPINOWSKI
Founder/President – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
Founder- Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans & First Responders
Coach, Mentor and Speaker
jacqui@shiftinggearsunited.org | 561-831-8887
Jacqui is a two-time Paralympian for Team USA in both winter and summer games. With nine World Champions in four sports, curling, triathlon, wheelchair racing, and rowing. Jacqui was inducted into the Paralympic Sport Hall of Fame in 2021. Jacqui has been an avid runner and athlete most of her life. She has competed in 90 marathons, 19 as a runner and 71 in her racing wheelchair and handcycle.
In her early twenties, Jacqui was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. She fought the disease, recovered, and returned to competitive marathon running. Five years later Jacqui was impacted by a second diagnosis of bacterial meningitis.
Surviving two bouts of meningitis, that has left Kapinowski living with a progressive disease that affects 1 in 1 million with no cure called “Stiff Person Syndrome”. Jacqui is a cancer survivor.
Jacqui founded Shifting Gears United on September 11, 2019, with the purpose of sharing her passion and years of experience in sports and mentoring wounded veterans, first responders and individuals living with various disabilities.
It is the power of sports and community that bring us together as a family. “The Only Constant is Change”.
HARRY KAPINOWSKI
Vice President – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
Equipment Logistics
Retired Newark, NJ Fire Department
2010 Paralympics -USA Curling Team /Technical Asst.
2016 Paralympics -USA Rowing Coach
Harry has been involved with disabled athletics for more than 30 years. He’s full-time, hands-on in the daily operations. He assist in all aspects of the South Florida Programs and events, clinics, camps, training, and race season. He was instrumental in assisting with getting the Shifting Gears United Programs off the ground and running for our Freedom Team of Wounded Veterans and First Responders
Christina Ford
Secretary – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
We are so excited to welcome Christina Ford to our board of Directors. Christina has been a lifelong advocate for accessibility across many platforms. Over the last ten years, she has been working diligently in the adaptive sports arena. She has been very active in the adaptive SCUBA diving community, not knowing that her first dive ten years ago would lead to a passion and a lifelong career.
As co-founder of Thresher Aquatics Inc. She has done so much to move the sport into a more accessible future, and we are excited to have her here to help us do the same for our endeavors. She excels in fundraising, changing views in accessibility (not only in sports, but was instrumental in making Bimini, Bahamas, into the accessible travel destination it is today), and never accepting “NO” as an acceptable answer.
We look forward to the impact she will undoubtedly help us make.
FRANCINE PRESCOTT
Director – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
A founding board member of SGU, Fran was instrumental in the creation of SGU. Having a disability, SGU provides a venue to participate in what was not possible on her own. She had been injured in a car accident years earlier and was left with multiple problems including CRPS (Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome), multiple back fusions, and a foot drop. Several years later, Fran was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
Fran has come to terms with her own injury and can help others. “I love to be with the “can do” group we have, and watching and participating in events where you just leave pain and disability at the start and just go.
Rob Bereolos
Director – Shifting Gears United, Inc.
Rob Bereolos is an accomplished advocate and leader in the disability community, drawing on over three decades of lived experience after sustaining a spinal cord injury in a motorcycle accident. As a founding member and current President of the Spinal Cord Injury Support Group of South Florida, he has mentored newly injured individuals and championed accessibility initiatives. He serves on multiple advisory boards, including the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and Hollister Continence Care Division, and is actively involved with organizations such as Accessible Alpine Adventures Tours and Access the Sea. His commitment extends to the Center for Independent Living, where he has worked towards the establishment of a wellness center in Broward County.
Rob’s professional background includes technical marketing, sales, and administration, following his graduation from Wabash College with a BA in Psychology and Business. A former Indiana Army National Guard member, he brings leadership and team-building skills to every role. Dedicated to fundraising for causes like SCISG, Joni and Friends, and Help Hope Live, Rob is also an accomplished hand-cyclist, marathon competitor, and active volunteer with children with special needs. In his free time, he enjoys playing guitar, water sports, and exploring new challenges, embodying his philosophy of living life to the fullest.
