Ballou has been a consistent member of the United States Paralympic National Team since being invited to train with them in March 2007 as a 14-years-old.

[5][6][7] As a result of the stroke, when he was an infant, doctors told his parents that he might live his life as a vegetable.

[5][6][9][10] While attending university, he took the spring semester of 2012 off so he could train with the US national team ahead of the London Games.

[11] In 2014, he completed an internship for U.S. State Department at the Embassy in Madrid in 2014 as part of his studies.

In April 2016, he gave a workshop on Paralympic sport at his alma mater's Godwin Hall in Harrisonburg[9] Ballou speaks Spanish and English.

[2] Ballou is a CP7 footballer and a regular fixture on the US National Paralympic Team,[11][12] where he plays in the midfield.

[3][13] Ballou started playing CP football in 2007 after getting invited to train with the national team in March.

[2][11][14][15] An eighth-place finish at this tournament qualified the United States for the London Games.

The camp was being held in preparation for the 7-a-side Football Ciutat de Barcelona in June of that year.

[22] Ballou was named to the US side for the 2015 Cerebral Palsy World Championships in England in June 2015.

[24] In the 7th/8th placement match, Argentine goalkeeper Gustavo Nahuelquin was red carded for kicking Ballou.

[27] Again, Ballou was called to participate on the national team after being named to the 14 man squad for the 2015 Parapan American Games in Toronto.

[10] Later that year, Ballou was nominated for the 2015 U.S. Soccer's Young Disabled Player of the Year alongside teammate Kevin Hensley and US national amputee football team players Nicolai Calabria and Noah Grove.

He participated national team training camp in Chula Vista, California in early March 2016.

[12] The United States finished 6th after beating Argentina in one placement match 4 - 3 and losing to Ireland 4 - 1.