A brief visit to her parents' home has made Beth Arnoult a celebrity.

The town of Lake View, Iowa, is celebrating Arnoult's first Paralympic Games, putting up billboards, turning on the lights and painting windows for the 42-year-old who grew up in this town of 1,300. The Pa'ia, Maui, resident will compete next month in singles and doubles in women's wheelchair tennis at the Paralympic Games in Beijing.

"It's just so overwhelming," said Arnoult, whose voice cracked with emotion. "They took me and just drove me around town to see the signs. The windows are painted, there's blinking lights, the car dealership ... it just brings me to tears. You don't really know how many people are behind you and how much spirit there is."

In life and sport, that's just how the ball bounces.

Arnoult is making her first Paralympic appearance, four years after she thought about retiring because she fell short of making the team for the 2004 Paralympics.

"I didn't think it was ever going to happen," Arnoult said. "I tried making the team four years ago and was the fifth player on the list and they only took four. By the time of the Olympics, I was (ranked) number three.

"It just wasn't meant to be four years ago and I contemplated retiring then. I decided to give it one more go and I'm glad I stuck it out."

In a sense, things have come full circle for Arnoult, who will retire after Beijing. She's spent the past 10 years on the road and on tour, improving her game and using her name to improve access for others in wheelchairs.

Yet, she was hesitant to try any wheelchair sport. Following a 1991 all-terrain vehicle accident in Las Vegas that left her paralyzed, Arnoult spent five years learning how to walk.

She made it as far as a straightaway on a track with her braces.

At the time, she wasn't ready to accept the fact she'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. But after taking up wheelchair tennis at the suggestion of a friend, the freedom of movement lifted her.

In her first tournament, she lost 6-0, 6-0. But Arnoult was hooked and went out to buy a wheelchair specifically made for the sport. She went on tour full-time in 1999. The past two years, she's been the top-ranked female American singles player.

"It's interesting," Arnoult said. "I'm just now at the level, when I started, of all my competition who had been playing 10 years. I always wanted to get better, quicker. It's just a matter of time.

"You hit enough balls, play enough matches, your mental toughness matures and I'm probably playing the best tennis I ever played. It's a bummer that I'm retiring, but there's other things in life."

Those other things in life have been on hold since Arnoult shelved those retirement plans. Arnoult said "maturity in the game and sport" has helped her strong run the past few years. Along with doubles partner Kaitlyn Verfuerth, another top American player, the two will be serious medal contenders in Beijing.

Arnoult has won seven doubles tournaments since 2007, including a gold in doubles and silver in singles at the Parapan American Games in 2007 in Brazil.

"We both have similar game styles," said Verfuerth of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. "We both like to play baseline, both are really consistent. She's more the player who keeps the ball in play and I'm trying to be more of the aggressor, get the short ball and put it away.

"We work pretty good on the court together."

Before Beijing, Arnoult has two tournaments in Missouri and Canada. There's also the World Va'a/Outrigger Canoe Sprint Championships in California where she'll compete with the Pure Light team from Hawai'i.

After Beijing, she hopes to spend time with her son, Jacques, volunteer at his school, do mission work and continue advocating for disability access and awareness.

"It's sad that you have to be successful for people to respect your position," Arnoult said. "But the former (Maui) mayor, Alan Arakawa, was very supportive of wheelchair people. He went around in a wheelchair to see what it was like from our perspective."

From her perspective, tennis has been just a journey. For those around here, especially those in Lake View, Iowa, it's worthy of a celebration.