During
Thursday’s class we made a long list of athletes that were either professional,
people we know or people we have heard of. The first one that came to mind was Oscar Pistorius, but was
unfortunately because of his recent personal life actions in the headlines of
the news last week. I knew his
name before his legal issues and watched him run in the Olympics and have seen
YouTube clips of his amazing 400 meter run at the
Paralympics.
Aside from
professionals, I remember seeing around September of 2012 in the news, and also
on YouTube, of a senior high school soccer player, Nico Calabria. Nico was born
with one leg and plays for the Concord-Carlisle Regional High School in
Concord, Massachusetts. He became so popular for this amazing goal he scored off of a
corner kick during a high school game. I remember seeing numerous articles and
Nico appearing on television shows like Ellen Degeneres, evening news shows,
and ESPN radio shows like the Scott Van Pelt Show. Nico’s ability to play with
other two-legged athletes at the varsity level is very impressive. So
impressive, that he is actually an athlete for the American Amputee Soccer
Association. The AASA’s website, http://www.ampsoccer.org,
has videos, photos and are promoting donations for the team to compete in the
2014 Amputee Soccer World Cup. I had no idea there were such high levels of
competition for amputee soccer players around the world. Watching this type of
amazing goal is very tough to do in a game for a player with two legs. For Nico
to be able to do this with one leg, with crutches requires a lot of balance,
athleticism, and mentality to pull off such a goal that would make him famous
in the sports world.
For Nico to be
noticed by scoring this astounding goal, his interviews, that can be seen on
YouTube, have him being interviewed on how he lives his life and how
motivational it is to be seen doing all these things with one leg and crutches.
That is how I saw people with disabilities in the media being viewed all the
time, as people who are amazing at what they can do with a disability and are
inspirational to everyone else.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post and what you were saying about the disabled athletes. When it comes to disabled athletes, when I watch them, I find it very inspirational and touching. There are so many people out there who give up on their dreams or do not do things to their potential so when I see a disabled athlete giving all he or she has just to be normal and compete it really inspires me. Me being an athlete myself, I give the disabled athletes a lot of props because I know how hard the training can be physically and mentally. I cannot imagine the toll it takes on the disabled athletes when they have to think about being disabled as well. Great post.
-Logan Walker
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteLike you the first athlete with a disability that came to my mind was Oscar Pistorius. I think he got so much coverage becasue of the high level of competition he played at being chosen by his country to represent them in the Olympics. After reading your blog about Nico Calabria, I looked him up. I never really heard anything about him before. His story is great and he's such a competitor. Not only does he play soccer but he also wrestles. While wrestling for his high school he came in 3rd place in the state finals against two legged competitors. With this being said, his work either and determination is a great boost in recognition for their community so in the future many more people will be know for their efforts not just the ones we see in the Olympics.
-Darion Delaney