[Sportsandrec] I hate to use this word, but...I though this was inspiring

[Cervenka, Stacy (Brownback)]

Hey, list.
    I just read this great article from the Cleveland Plain-Dealer about two high school guys with disabilities who compete on their public high school's wrestling team; one is blind and one has no legs. They both wrestle on the regular high school wrestling team and both do very well. Most of the articles on blind kids or kids with disabilities focus on the substantial barriers they face in school, whether it's lack of Braille instruction, lack of opportunities for physical education, lack of access in the science labs, and so on. I find stories like this hopeful; it's nice to see that the situation isn't entirely bleak and that there are kids out there breaking down barriers and also teachers, coaches, and school officials who are open-minded and inclusive.
    I pasted the text of the article below, but also be sure to check out the two videos that appear on the web site as well. The videos in particular really give you a sense that both guys are a valued part of their team and both come across as really great guys.


Video On The Blind Wrestler
http://videos.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/2009/02/blind_wrestler_competes_in_tou.html

Video On The Wrestler With No Legs
http://videos.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/2009/02/wrestler_without_legs_competes.html


Article Text
Willing and able: Lincoln West wrestlers Dartanyon Crockett and Leroy Sutton excel on mats

February 20, 2009

Teammates support each other to overcome obstacles.


Leroy Sutton bore a big smile last Saturday as his Lincoln West wrestling teammate, Dartanyon Crockett, carried him on his shoulders to his next match during the Senate Athletic League tournament.



Crockett, a senior 189-pounder, wasn't carrying Sutton to help develop tree-trunk strong legs and endurance. Crockett -- a state weightlifting champion -- is already strong. He's also legally blind. And he was carrying the 171-pound Sutton because his senior teammate has virtually no legs.



"I'm his wheelchair," said Crockett, who said he can barely see enough shadows so he doesn't stumble while walking. "He's also my drill partner and teammate, and I'd carry him to his next match at another school if no bus were available." Next up for Sutton and Crockett is the postseason, which starts today. They will compete at the Division I sectional tournament at Midpark. Action starts at 6 p.m. and continues at 10 a.m. Saturday.



Sutton also is popular with opposing wrestlers and fans. The fact he can wrestle at all is no minor feat. At age 11 while growing up in Akron, he was hit by a train while walking near railroad tracks on his way toward Hotchkiss Elementary School in 2001, losing most of both legs.



"I'll never forget that," Sutton said. "It was Dec. 7, 8:37 a.m. when me and my brother, Antonio, who is four years older, were walking on the gravel near the tracks. The train came by and it was going so fast I got sucked into the tracks . . . the wind pulled me in.



"My backpack and jacket got ripped, my left leg was severed and my right leg was mangled. I was only 11, I didn't know better. The pain was excruciating, but I was mentally aware of everything that was going on."



How Sutton got interested in wrestling is unusual, and it happened after the train accident. Then a freshman at Firestone, his best friend talked Sutton into trying the sport, convincing him he'd be good because of his upper-body strength. Sutton earned a spot on the school's junior varsity team. His debut was memorable.



"I accidentally broke my opponent's nose," Sutton said. "The fact I won the match [by default] gave me a rush. In my second match, my opponent broke a bone in my right leg."



Sutton needed to have the bone surgically repaired, and he didn't wrestle again until his senior year after his family moved to Cleveland and he enrolled at the West Side school.



Sutton is 9-3 overall this season and placed fourth at last week's Senate tournament. He went 2-2, pinning one of his opponents in a cradle, which is difficult to do when you don't have a leg to help apply leverage.



"Leroy moves around faster on his arms than most wrestlers do on their feet," said Terry Atkins, who has officiated several of Sutton's matches.



Crockett also draws respect. Despite his severely limited vision, he became a two-time Senate champ when he pinned Irayel Williams of Rhodes in the finals in 1:15 in an unusual defensive maneuver.



"I couldn't believe what he did," Atkins said. "[Crockett] had been taken down, but he reached back and grabbed [Williams'] waist and hips and squeezed the air right out of him. I couldn't even award a reversal because [Williams] still had control of [Crockett's] hips .¤.¤. the pin was that fast."



Crockett, who has a 23-3 record this winter, said he has been blind since birth.



"Because people constantly tell me I can't do things because of my lack of vision, I wanted to prove them wrong when they said I shouldn't wrestle," Crockett said. "Besides, in wrestling you don't need to see to execute a move and you have no teammates to worry about unlike football, where running a wrong route or someone else's missed block messes up a play."



Like Crockett, Sutton said he views his disadvantage as an advantage.



"My opponents have a higher base, so they often don't know how to attack me" Sutton said. "They have to stop my shoulders or I'll get to their legs. Once I do, I'm so strong I'll pull them down, and I do know two or three pinning combinations."



Lincoln West assistant coach Justin Hons said Sutton and Crockett are the team leaders, and they impact their teammates on the mat, as well as spiritually and mentally.



"Leroy and Dartanyon are physically punishing on the mat but they are not mean or arrogant kids," Hons said. "Their teammates better understand what it means to sacrifice because of what they've gone through. These two are compassionate besides competitive, and they really enjoy life despite what has been dealt to them."



You can find the story as well as the two videos at the following link:
http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/02/willing_and_able_lincoln_west.html