The story of Dustin Carter, in my opinion, is one of great courage and fascination. Not only the fact that he was able to compete at the high school level, but Dustin was a serious competitor. He had a very successful career by anyone's standards and even made it to the state wrestling meet, without arms and legs. His appendages only extend to his elbow or knee joints.
We discussed in class how our athletic careers would have been different if we had been born the opposite sex. I believe the story of Dustin can also beg the question of how our athletic career would have been different if we had to deal with a disability.
For me, I have no idea what that situation would have brought. I do know that my interest for basketball had sparked from the moment I realized what I was watching on television. My mom loves telling the story of how I refused to watch cartoons when I was little. I only wanted to watch 'backet ball." This created a huge problem for me during the offseason. Growing up near Los Angeles, I was a huge Lakers fan when Magic Johnson was running the show. I was such a big fan, I remember crying when he announced his retirement due to his contraction of the HIV virus. It was a no brainer for my parents to buy me a small hoop for our back yard so I could practice my sweet, two-handed jumper.
With that type of background and exposure to the sport when I was very young, I cannot imagine my love of basketball to change if I had been disabled. At that point, it was not about watching the sport because I could necessarily relate. It was about watching the sport because it was attractive to me. I loved the way it was played, I loved the atmosphere, and I had a great team to watch and follow. Because I enjoyed it so much, my parents then would do things such as buy me a basketball and rim or buy me memorabilia and apparel. Let's say I had no arms or no legs. I believe my parents would have facilitated to my needs to still allow me to have a positive experience with the sport.
While I'm not sure I would have had a different experience as a child, I do think that I would have had a different experience later in life. I don't think I could have played varsity basketball or volleyball in junior high or high school. This would have then changed my decision on college and ultimately what I am doing with my life right now. The ability to play and do well at sports allowed me opportunities that I might not have had if I was not able to play at the levels I did. Therefore, my life over the past decade and a half would most likely have changed, but I do not think my love of sports would have.
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This was a great idea to consider how your life might have been different if you had experienced a disability. That is a good example of using the "sociological imagination." It really made an impression on me when Scot Hollonbeck (the wheelchair racer from the University of Illinois who was hit by a drunk driver when he was 14 years old) talked about playing basketball and being treated differently by his opponents when he was in wheelchair. I would like to think I would have still played tennis, but it would definitely have been a challenge.
ReplyDeleteAs a long-time Lakers fan, I can relate to how you felt when Magic Johnson announced that he was hiv positive. I was still a big Lakers fan at the time, and was going to grad school at Michigan State. I don't know if I shared this in your class, but I was actually doing a "bar assignment" (yes, it was an assignment for a grad class:-) where we had to note something "out of the ordinary" that happened the night we were there. It just so happened that I was doing my assignment the night that Magic announced he was retiring. Not only was I in Lansing, MI, where he went to school, but I also documented it for my assignment. Needless to say, it was one of those moments I will always remember where I was. All that to say, I can relate to being a Lakers' fan. However, I must add that if it comes down to an NBA final between the Lakers and the Cavs, I must go with the Cavs!