Super Athlete
Posted by Ted Hopton on March 15, 2008
If you read my post about Brad Hennefer, a varsity basketball player with Down’s Syndrome, you already know I love stories about athletes who overcome adversity to succeed.
That’s the essence of amateur athletics as far as I am concerned: digging deep within one’s self to become the best you can. So I have deep admiration for athletes, especially young people, who refuse to be held back by the weak hand they’ve been dealt as physical specimens. They are inspirational proof that so much of success in sports derives from heart and spirit — and that’s a great lesson for succeeding in all aspects of life, as well.
So, here’s another heart-warming account in the NYT of a young man who fights the odds and is a winner in many ways: “With an Iron Will, He Finds a Way.”
Carter, 18, is a 103-pounder whose legs end at his hips, whose right arm stops just after his elbow and whose left arm is even shorter. He had the rest taken from him at age 5 because of a blood infection that required extensive amputations.
Take a look at the photo from the NYT — it’s astonishing that this young man can compete at a high level, with no leverage from his legs, no fingers to grip with, and arms that give him diminished reach.
Yet he qualified for the state tournament!
Carter has compiled a 41-2 record this season for Hillsboro High School, about 55 miles east of Cincinnati. He has also won a handful of tournaments and inspired nearly everyone who has watched him.
Outside of the wrestling hall, he’s clear and articulate about his attitude in life.
“I don’t look at myself as different,” said Carter, who uses prosthetic legs when he is not wrestling. “I wrestle like anybody else. I go to school like anybody else. I can live on my own like anybody else. I can do anything anybody else can do. I don’t like people feeling sorry for me. Some people do.”
It’s a great story — read it!
