A truly amazing story...

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Posted by: " Aseem Kaistha " vkaisthaa2002 vkaisthaa2002

Wed May 21, 2008 6:57 pm (PDT)

 

" Don't Let Life Pin You Down "

An Excerpt from Finish Strong

By Dan Green

 

 

Kyle Maynard is a regular guy with a love to compete. He knows that to

truly live you must set your sights on a goal and never give up. The

fire that burns in his belly helped propel him to contend for the

Georgia state high school wrestling championship in 2004. Not such a

big deal you might say except for the remarkable fact that Kyle has no

arms or legs. He was born a congenital amputee his arms ending at his

elbows, his legs at his knees. The first time I saw Kyle on an ESPN

special (he won an ESPY award for the Best Athlete with a Disability

in 2004) I was immediately struck by how normal he seemed. During the

special, they showed Kyle doing all of the things that any other

person or athlete would do.

 

He spoke with passion and conviction and he never left me with the

impression that the world owed him anything. I was amazed to see him

training hard, lifting weights he has cannon balls for shoulders.

Using a specially designed attachment, he was pushing more than double

his own body weight. I was instantly inspired to learn more about this

amazing person.

 

From the beginning, Kyle's parents, Anita and Scott, were determined

to raise a normal child. They insisted that he learned to feed himself

and play with the other kids like any other child would do. When Kyle

saw other kids picking up crayons with their fingers, he learned

to pick them up by using the crease in his short, but sensitive biceps.

 

His grandmother Betty was a source of inspiration and would often take

him to the grocery store where she would instill a sense of confidence

by encouraging Kyle to sit up and look folks in the eye and smile. He

was fitted with prosthetic devices at a young age, but quickly

dismissed them because they were too restrictive. He wanted to be free

to run and play just like the other kids and those devices kept him

from doing so.

 

Kyle led an active childhood. He played street hockey with his friends

(he was the goalie) and in sixth grade was able to make the football

team. Kyle hung tough on the football team, but his physical

differences put him at a disadvantage against other players.

Eventually, his father encouraged him to try another sport that would

put Kyle on an even plane with his competition wrestling.

 

Kyle started wrestling in sixth grade. He lost his first 35 matches in

a row During this period of time, Kyle had to dig deep to find the

confidence to continue. Kyle however, was a warrior and he didn't like

to lose. With the support of his father, a former wrestler, he learned

to train with weights, became very strong and learned some moves

unique to his strengths. Kyle overcame the self-doubt he felt during

his early wrestling days and became a winner. In his senior year, Kyle

won 35 times on the varsity squad and qualified for the state

championship. In the state tournament, Kyle won his first three

matches and had to face his final opponent with a broken nose.

Although Kyle did not win the state championship, he gained a level of

self-confidence and became a source of inspiration for everyone that

he met.

 

Kyle graduated high school and attends the University of Georgia,

where he continues to wrestle and inspire others. As a member of the

Washington Speaker’s Bureau, Kyle is regularly asked to give

motivational talks. But what he has to say has little to do with his

perceived physical differences. Rather, he talks of overcoming fear

and doubt and what it takes to compete and win just as any other

champion would do. To this day, Kyle has never been pinned by an

opponent. What a fitting metaphor for his life.

 

Live with passion,

Aseem Kaistha

It's your attitude and not your aptitude that determines your altitude.