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St. Paul teen got the call when the Twins wanted an inspirational athlete to throw a first pitch

St. Paul athlete, 19, has a record of inspiring at school and work.

By Anthony Lonetree

May 7, 2019 at 11:51AM

Ana Younker-Zimmerman was born without arms, but that hasn't stopped her in the classroom or on the job.

Using her toes and the edges of her feet, she quickly folds and tears apart tickets for use in lesson plans, and then wraps a rubber band around them — twice.

"She does her thing so nonchalantly," said Shannon Schubert, who as a work coordinator for Focus Beyond Transition Services arranged Younker-Zimmerman's part-time job at Junior Achievement of the Upper Midwest. "If I had no arms, I'd make a production of it."

A graduate of St. Paul's Humboldt High School, Younker-Zimmerman, 19, excelled in adapted sports, as well. So when the word went out recently that the Minnesota Twins wanted an inspirational athlete to throw out the first pitch on April 26, she got the call.

The feat was made possible because the ball in adapted softball actually is a whiffle ball, which she can flick with her foot. She has pitched before, too. As for her Twins performance, she wishes she had gotten more arc on the ball. But then she was pretty nervous.

Late, too. She said that she and her boyfriend, and her parents, Sarah Zimmerman and Kelly Younker, circled Target Field 10 times before they found the correct entrance.

Her invitation to deliver the opening pitch at a Twins game was not the first time she's been recognized for her talents.

Last year, Younker-Zimmerman was one of 43 female athletes honored by the St. Paul Area Athena Awards — and the only one to play adapted sports. The awards are given to outstanding female high school senior student-athletes in and around St. Paul. She earned nearly a 4.0 grade-point average, she said, and when asked about her favorite subjects, replied: "History. Math. Not science."

She would like to continue playing sports, she said. The Special Olympics would be cool. But she also is busy preparing for the next stage in her life.

College hopes

Younker-Zimmerman was born in Haiti and adopted and brought to the United States when she was 3.

Of her time as a little girl, she said, "I don't remember. I don't talk about it much."

She's had anger and mental health problems, but says she enjoyed her years at Humboldt, thanks in large part to her discovery of adapted sports. Soccer was her favorite, she said. She bowled, too, primarily by sitting and propelling the ball outward with her feet. But she stood at times, too.

"When you want a higher score, you gotta do what you gotta do," she said. "So I did both."

Younker-Zimmerman walked with her senior class during last year's graduation ceremony, but still has some work to do to earn her diploma from Focus Beyond. The program is part of St. Paul Public Schools and promotes lifelong learning for young adults with disabilities.

"I have lots of friends there," she said last week during a break from her job at Junior Achievement. "Plus I work on my anger. When things don't go your way, you can look past it or think on the bright side."

She plans to be at Focus Beyond for another year and then, hopefully, attend St. Paul College and St. Catherine University.

Her goal is to become a mental health therapist.

On Thursdays and Fridays, in the meantime, she continues to amaze at Junior Achievement, working alongside a few classmates as they fill lesson kits with items like flash cards, game pieces, toys and stickers.

She prefers the task of folding and tearing tickets because she finds it calming.

And at lunch, she keeps her feet busy by cross-stitching, too.

Ana Younker-Zimmerman, who was born without arms, was invited to Target Field to throw out a first pitch on April 26. Younker-Zimmerman, 19, excels at adapted sports and graduated from St. Paul’s Humboldt High School. (Mike Nelson — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Ana Younker-Zimmerman, a St. Paul student who was born without arms, threw out the first pitch at the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles game at Target Field Friday, April 26, 2019, in Minneapolis, MN.] DAVID JOLES •david.joles@startribune.com Ana Younker-Zimmerman was born without arms, but that did not stop her from competing athletically, even when it came to bowling and playing softball. A year ago, she graduated from St. Paul’s Humboldt High, but she still inspires: She threw out the first pitch at the April 26 Minnesota Twins game. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

adapting and competing Ana Younker-Zimmerman, a graduate of St. Paul’s Humboldt High, threw out the first pitch at a recent Twins game at Target Field. She grasped the ball with her toes and flicked it to the plate with her foot. In addition to softball, Younker-Zimmerman has competed in bowling and soccer, and won a St. Paul Athena Award honoring student-athletes. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Ana Younker-Zimmerman, a St. Paul student who was born without arms, walks off the pitcher’s mound with TC Bear after throwing out the first pitch at the Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles game at Target Field Friday, April 26, 2019, in Minneapolis, MN.] DAVID JOLES •david.joles@startribune.com Ana Younker-Zimmerman was born without arms, but that did not stop her from competing athletically, even when it came to bowling and playing softball. A year ago, she graduated from St. Paul’s Humboldt High, but she still inspires: She threw out the first pitch at the April 26 Minnesota Twins game. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

about the writer

Anthony Lonetree

Reporter

Anthony Lonetree has been covering St. Paul Public Schools and general K-12 issues for the Star Tribune since 2012-13. He began work in the paper's St. Paul bureau in 1987 and was the City Hall reporter for five years before moving to various education, public safety and suburban beats.