Pistorius was born with a congenital disease that caused him to have both of his legs amputated just below his knees when he was less than a year old. He has lived the vast majority of his life without calves or feet. For many people this would be a crutch, but Oscar saw this as a challenge that could be overcome. He decided that he wanted to be an athlete, and that’s what he became. He played multiple sports when he was young, and eventually realized that he excelled at sprinting even without lower legs and decided that he would focus on the sport.
Like many others, my interest in the field of Athletic Training began after a sports injury. I tore my ACL playing soccer when I was a sophomore in high school. After my injury I spent almost everyday with the Athletic Trainer for my high school. I always knew that I wanted to do something in the health care field but I had not figured out what yet. While working with Coach Bazemore and seeing what he does on daily basis, I decided that Athletic Training was the area I wanted to focus my studies on.
Even though I couldn’t run long enough like other people, because I get tire very fast. My dad love soccer also my little brother. I probably got the gene pass down from him. My two favorite sport teams are Manchester United and FC
I have overcome this handicap by working hard to reach my goals. I played soccer for much longer than what my doctor had anticipated I could play. I was very proud when he was surprised that I played soccer and keep up with everyone else. I played golf Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior years of high school. This was no easy task.
I was playing football for a highly accredited high school program with no worries of injuries or anything that would stop me from playing football at the next level until I hurt my knee. I soon learned I injured my knee so bad that the way my body reacted to the surgery, there was a possibility that I might never walk without a limp for the rest of my life. That is when my school’s trainer worked with me five days a week for thirteen months until I was released from not only my physician, but also to actually play competitive
Soccer has been a huge part of my life since I was very young. The very first time I touched a soccer ball, I fell in love. I started playing at 6 years old. The first team I played for was coached by one of my best friends dads, Jim Crosby. Our team name was, The Mean Green Fighting Machines.
As a volleyball player, I was constantly working on getting stronger. Sometimes it would take days or even weeks to strengthen the skills I felt needed to be worked on in order make myself and my team better. Even though I may not have been able to ace a ball or spike it in the beginning or had a hard time assisting my teammates, I knew that if I didn’t give up, I would eventually achieve my goal. As I continued to play during my high school years, I ended up having to quit playing my senior year since I had become very sick and was not physically able to play. There were many games and practices that I tried to play, and I was constantly going against my body and making myself worse rather than better.
Dr. Jack Stapleton enjoyed sports and was anxious to get his knee repaired so he could go back to playing the sports he loved. The usual wait period was six months for a knee surgery to make sure the knee was not inflamed and so that there would be less of a chance of infection. Dr. Jack Stapleton didn’t want to wait six months so instead he scheduled his surgery on the Thursday after his injury. Dr. Jack Stapleton was telling his wife Dr. Laurie Montgomery about how excited he was that he had been able to get an appointment with one of the best doctors in New York. He was going to have his surgery at Angel’s orthopedic hospital.
Neuropathy prevented Ian seeing where his body was which is a petrifying feeling; literally Ian was “The Man who Lost His Body”. It took a year for Ian to stand up safely and six months to put on his sock, this sensory process was long and tedious. This documentary taught me how we are fortunate to have sensory abilities; most people take it for granted because it’s natural. It was unbelievable how Ian recovered from this illness. The doctors told him that he will be in the wheel chair for the rest of his life but he was determined to regain his strength and movement.
The game involves brute strength and keen physicality; it is a hand to hand, helmet to helmet fight, one man struggling against another. And yet at the same time, finesse, agility, and brilliant strategy are requisites for success and a team lives or dies solely on how well they work together as a team, as a unit. Playing football in high school helped shape me into the man I am today. As I struggled through another practice in 100 degree heat and sweated through two-a-day practices, I learned to work hard and not quit. I learned that pain is often the only pathway to excellence.