When USC track and field jumper Ezra Frech first got the call that he was going to be on “Dancing with the Stars,” the two-time Paralympic gold medalist couldn’t believe it. As a long-time fan of the show and its inclusivity, the moment became especially real when he met his partner, 2021 Mirrorball Trophy winner Daniella Karagach. 

For Frech, the stage means more than just competing for a Mirrorball Trophy. 

“It means so much. It’s always been a dream come true to get to represent the disabled community and push the boundaries,” Frech said in an exclusive interview with the Daily Trojan. “I get to do it on a show that I’ve loved so much, and just step out of my comfort zone.”

While Frech’s journey to “Dancing with the Stars” was straightforward, his path to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games was rather unconventional. At 11 years old, he watched the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and inspiration struck. He told his family and friends that he wanted to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games. 

He would eventually qualify for the 2020 Paralympics, fulfilling a lifelong dream. At the Games, Frech finished in the top eight in both the long jump and high jump. 

Three years later, at just 19, Frech was on top of the world. He became a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, winning his events in the 100-meter dash and high jump. 

Missing three weeks of school for the Paralympics is something not many athletes can say they have done, or for “Dancing with the Stars,” as Frech is set to compete for a Mirrorball Trophy. 

All Frech is looking to do is give 110% effort and focus on the details, now fine-tuned for dance instead of track. 

“I’m always, of course, still looking to perfect my craft on the track, but track is faster, so things are happening quicker,” Frech said. “In dance, I’m not sprinting at top speed, and actually, some of the parts of dance … there’s moments where things are slower, so everything’s even more exposed. Those little intricate details actually become exponentially more important.” 

The little details are very different for the Paralympian now, as he turns his attention to his appearance and on-stage performance. The pair’s first dance of the season will be a tango to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.” 

“It’s a lot of short and quick head movements and flicks, and that’s really cool. But the coolest thing that I’ve learned is how even the smallest things can make the biggest difference,” Frech said. “The smallest difference in head posture, the smallest difference in angles, can totally change the way the picture looks as far as the whole dance. … My chin being faced a certain direction by three centimeters can be the difference between it looking amazing and not.”  

This season, he’s paired up with Karagach, who is well-known among “Dancing With the Stars” fans as “The Ferrari.” Karagach was given the nickname by former six-time Mirrorball winner and judge Derek Hough, and she is known for her precision, technique and fierce dancing style. 

As Frech and “The Ferrari” rev up this season, fans online have given their team a name: Team “Footloose.” 

Off the field and off the dance floor, Frech and his father started a nonprofit in 2013 designed to bring Paralympic-style events to Southern California. Angel City Sports has since created opportunities for youth, adults and veterans with physical disabilities and visual impairments to compete, connect and thrive in Los Angeles.  

“Growing up, there wasn’t a lot of people in the mainstream media with a physical disability that I could look up to and be inspired by,” Frech said. “I’m gonna wear my heart on my sleeve when I dance on the live show, and I just dream of doing something this season that hopefully changes the way the general public views disability.” 

“Dancing with the Stars” has been inclusive, featuring both disabled and able-bodied contestants. Paralympic snowboarder Amy Purdy was the first double amputee to compete, and finished as a runner-up in 2014 with Hough. 

“‘Dancing with the Stars’ has been so amazing in their disability representation, and I just dream of continuing that legacy,” Frech said.  

Frech is also the second Trojan to compete on the show, following legendary wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, who competed in 2013 but was eliminated in the first round. 

Frech is taking it one day at a time and, as his partner says, is “trusting the process.” 

“I have so much love for the people that I’m on this journey with, and I’m going to take it day by day, enjoy the process, keep my head down [and] keep working,” Frech said. “I hope the fans love our dances.”

Frech will make his “Dancing with the Stars” debut Tuesday night as he hopes to make his fans proud. 

“We get to watch these people blossom in a new way, and so for me to be a part of such a beautiful show like that, it means the world to me,” Frech said. “I have so much gratitude, and I honestly just want to go out there and make the disabled community proud, and hopefully be that representation that we know is so important and that this community is missing right now.”