“It comes right here, 3 ½ revolution, triple axel, double toe loop… beautifully landed,” a voice in the background exclaims as an elegant skater gracefully lands her jump on the ice. That background voice has been heard by thousands, but many don’t know who it belongs to. It belongs to a petite male, who had awed a great number of people with his vigorous jumps on the Olympic ice skating rink. That voice belongs to Scott Hamilton, who grew up being made fun of, who overcame a number of health problems, who took the challenges life struck him with, for granted. Scott Hamilton is not only considered one of the best figure skaters of all time, but he is also a great role model, because despite the fact that he had a tough childhood, nonstop Olympic practice to deal with, and then later a cancer and brain tumor diagnosis; he always kept a good attitude and determination. Scott Scovell Hamilton was born on August 28, 1958, in Toledo Ohio. Six weeks later, he was adopted by a couple who had trouble having children; Ernest Hamilton – a professor at Bowling Green State University, and Dorothy Hamilton – a second grade school teacher. Scott grew up in the city of Bowling Green with his adoptive parents, his older sister, who was their biological daughter, and his younger brother, who was also adopted. At first it seemed as if he was a strong, healthy kid, but that was until his parents noticed that he wasn’t developing like the other children. At around two or three years, he mysteriously stopped growing. For a long time, the toddler was taken in and out of hospitals, being misdiagnosed many times. Scott recalled this period in his life as, “…a lot of time alone at a very early age, which was scary… I was surrounded by strangers in a ver... ... middle of paper ... ... greatest gift I could’ve gotten, because it made everything else possible.” The benign tumor was completely removed, but returned six years later. Scott Hamilton is a genuinely talented figure skater and terrific role model, who kept a positive attitude and determination throughout his tough childhood, overwhelming amounts of practice, and throughout a cancer diagnosis and brain tumor. Instead of looking back at his illnesses with sorrow, he is proud of where they took him. His cancer battle got him a chance to found the C.A.R.E.S. Initiative (Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship) where he speaks to people who are battling cancer just like he was. He works as a motivational speaker in many other events across the country. Continuing to live positively, Scott Scovell Hamilton said, “I know that the only true disability in life is a bad attitude.”
Success is not given, it is earned. Waking up for a 5am skating practice is nobody’s ideal Wednesday morning, especially for a hormonal teenager like myself. However, satisfaction of landing a new jump or learning a new spin does not come from letting our ‘wants’ buyout our dreams. “By the time we’d finished, we were amazed at how much the book had taught us: about ourselves.” I don’t always succeed, nor do I always expect to. Throughout all the morning practices and late night workouts, failure is something I have learned from. I remember giving up on myself countless times after falling on a jump or not turning my edges properly, as if I had ‘writer's-block,’ feeling completely numb. Nevertheless, succeeding was the easy part, it was learning to grow into the 6 year old singing, confident, child again, and defeating the numbness. I have learned, along the way, people are going to try to undercut your success or take credit for your hard work. However, it is the end product that matters. It will be I who knows how to complete a program, or I who knows how to work hard. Staying focused as the athlete I am, not letting people side track me, builds the confidence to know ‘I finished the
This inner strength helps her learn to live life as a paraplegic; as well as, the courage to become a wheelchair racer. The author’s competitive spirit and enthusiasm for life continues as her misfortune turns into opportunity, and finally emerges as an Ironman triathlete. Coupled with her perseverance, Downing transitions from an able-bodied cyclist to an athlete with a disability. Equipped with the true meaning of the words challenge and change, the author becomes the first female paraplegic to compete in an Ironman triathlon. In fact, to overcome her disability, Downing uses the strength, courage and determination learned as an
In Springfield, Missouri, a 9-year-old boy named Tristan sold $18,000 worth of lemonade, cookies, and bottled water to raise money for his adoption. Tristan was born to a 15-year-old girl who became a drug addict and neglected Tristan, so Donnie Davis took him in. Davis’s previous husband was the father of Tristan, so she temporarily took custody to help the struggling mother, but after the drugs and neglect, she wanted to legally become Tristan’s mother. The adoption was going to cost the Davis’s about $15,000, and they met their goal after news of Tristan’s story and his lemonade stand leaked on social media. The Davis’s have had the adoption approved, and as a celebration, Tristan is going to get to see his favorite basketball player, Kevin Durant, play in Oklahoma City. Due to Tristan’s years of abuse, Tristan was diagnosed with PTSD and a sensory processing disorder, but he now has medications and doctors and teachers to help him.
The foster care system, then as now was desperate for qualified homes. Kathy and her husband had become certified foster parents, she was a certified teacher, and they had empty beds in their home. Their phone soon bega...
After being mesmerized by figure skating at the age of eight, I became a member of the Markham Skating Club. As a competitive figure skater, I must perform various jumps and spins in a choreographed program. I have participated in numerous competitions in Central Ontario and have received multiple medals for my achievements. Yet, my achievement as a figure skater stem from the adversity that I faced throughout my skating journey. This sport has imposed challenges to both my mental and physical strength that have ultimately constructed the qualities of dedication and humility within myself.
Bobby Little is a 7-year-old male who entered into the Foster Care System when he was 5 years old. His father deceased do to a drug overdose and his mother is in prison for drug trafficking. None of his extended family was willing to provide care for him. Bobby has been placed in five different foster homes before entering the Smith home 2 months ago. His Reactive Attachment Disorder makes it difficult for him to form attachments. Despite his disorder, his foster parents are working to achieve a healthy attachment with him.
In the sport of figure skating, there are six basic jumps for a skater to learn. They are the axel, toe loop, salchow, loop, flip, and the lutz. When a skater masters a single axel to a double lutz, it is time for them to learn the double axel. I was thirteen years old when I was introduced to this element. My coach and I set specific goals to include this element in my repertoire for the following competitive season. Landing a double axel is a huge milestone for any skater and it serves as a stepping stone to new competitive opportunities. However, such success does not come without hard work. It required several months of effort to successfully land it and nearly two years of patience
Suddenly, I wasn’t the girl everyone already knew who liked to dance, enjoyed going to the beach, and was adopted. I became the “new girl.” No one knew that my parents were white. They only knew that I was Asian. I soon began to question my assumption that being adopted was so great. People at Stafford saw me differently. They made assumptions about me. I knew in my heart that something was changing, but it took me a while to understand what it was.
Statistics shows that the Cancer epidemic is one of the leading causes of death in the United states (“Cancer”). Today, the epidemic is evidently one of the most substantial constraints the world faces. While there are many advocates for the cancer cause, Jim Valvano is remembered by many as a top supporting warrior on the topic. Dying of cancer in 1993, Valvano, a successful college basketball coach, left a surviving legacy through his Arthur Ashe Courage Award acceptance speech at ESPN’s 1993 award ceremony. More than just a simple acceptance speech, Valvano takes dominance of his speech climax through a series of appeals made very impressive through the style and delivery he bestows.
Every year our country’s schools come together to raise money to donate to the Terry Fox Foundation. This is such a great impact because it is encouraging our youth to be more productive and athletic. It is also teaching our youth that no matter what, you always have time to donate and always have the time to talk to or help out a survivor or someone suffering cancer. Terry Fox has made it known to kids that Cancer can happen to anyone, anytime,
"Even if I don't finish, we need others to continue. It's got to keep going without me. ” (An individual who is remembered as the face of cancer research. Terry Fox was a boy who was really enthusiastic about sports. He was named athlete of the year in his senior year, but suddenly he discovered he had bone cancer in his right knee. Instead of just quitting, he decided to do something beneficial. He impacted Canada like no one ever has before. He decided to run from coast to coast on only one leg in order to raise money. He called it the Marathon of Hope. Contributions to cancer research, inspiring others to persevere and strive for success, and having many physical memorials in Canada are some of the many ways this young man has and still is impacting Canada.
Paralympian, Josh Pauls, is well known for his playing ability and team camaraderie is one of the most active members representing U.S. sled hockey says, “It's just exponential growth”. Josh's team, the St. Louis Blues is a true reflection of the heightened awareness and enjoyment of the fan base. Pauls took up the sport at the age of 8 and now at 22 has brought home several
Their hearts sank as they watched the child they had come to know and love as their own, be taken away by strangers that they had never met until today. As the CPS worker spoke with Mary she explained, “If you had just logged in her injuries acquired during the accident and told us what medicines you had used, this would not have happened.” Mary thought to herself “it was just a scrape… just a tiny little cut…” Many parents all over the world have gone through hardships like this one. If they even got to adopt at all. Many of the rules, regulations and prices agencies have come up with have been causing people all over the world to deter from adopting.
Kristi Yamaguchi has also been able to overcome diversity in the world of skating. Being the first ever figure skater of American-Asian descent to win an Olympic gold medal, she showed people that typecasting or prejudice would not exist in figure skating. She demonstrated tha...
...to get up to try again to succeed” no matter how many times we may fall or how hard, we just need to try again to succeed. Since then I decided to try bike riding again and not worry about my falls or accidents because that was a way of me showing myself I was making progress it was a valuable lesson. When my sisters and I went bike riding I began to laugh because the tables turned I wasn't the one being laughed at anymore it was them. Bethany Hamilton is a huge example to never give up on what can be accomplish till this very day. After her struggling for so long she entered major surfing competitions winning top five competitor, published her autobiography in 2004 called Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. Seven years later in the month of April a movie based on her tragedy called Soul Surfer which I love was released.