Meet Adaptive Athlete: JJ Orsak

James Orsak, known as JJ, was raised in League City, Texas. Growing up, he thrived on baseball, shooting guns, and tinkering with cars - pastimes that sharpened his focus, built grit through teamwork on the diamond, and fed his love for hands-on precision and independence.

 

After graduating from Clear Creek High School, JJ enlisted in the Navy in September 1988, serving as an E-4 in the Aviation Weapons Department aboard an aircraft carrier until 1991. His time included a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm, a three-month stint in the North Pacific, and a shipyard overhaul in Philadelphia. Following his service, he earned an AAS in Electrical Technology and built a career in the trade.

 

Everything changed on December 22, 2018, when JJ was working from a lift at a flight simulation facility on DFW Airport property. The lift contacted a 7,000-volt line, sending an arc flash through his arms that burned through his clothes and ignited fires across his waist, shoulder, and left side leaving JJ a double arm amputee. After 75 days in the hospital, multiple outpatient surgeries, and adapting to prosthetics, he faced a steep physical and emotional climb—grappling with depression, frustration, and a shift away from old trade connections. Today he finds a steady community in bowling, church, and workouts.

 

JJ is now channeling that same resilience into rebuilding. He is focused on boosting self-confidence across every part of life, while physically pushing endurance and conditioning to quiet the depression, sharpen his mental clarity, and show up stronger every day for his wife.