Anthony Cornwell, Jr. Disability and Sport

One of the athletes that competed in sport with a disability was Anthony Robles. He was also one of the athletes mentioned in our last class. Anthony Robles was a wrestler for Arizona State. He won the 2010-11 NCAA individual wrestling championship in the 125-pound weight class. From the information given, you wouldn’t think that he had a disability. But Anthony Robles was born with only one leg. For Robles he was at an advantage in wrestling. He gained tremendous grip strength from his use of crutches and had a low center of gravity. So even with one leg, he was determined to be a wrestler. Robles story is inspiring to me because it shows what hard work really can do for you. It’s already hard enough to win a NCAA championship in any sport, but to do it with one leg is just unheard of. I have plenty of respect for Anthony Robles. I believe my sport experiences would’ve been extremely different if I had a disability. To be honest I don’t think I would have the same friends that I have today. Not saying that my friends are bad people or anything like that, but most of my friends that I have today are friends that I met through sports. I don’t believe my mother would’ve even signed me up for little league sports, especially with a disability like Robles; the sports that I played growing up would’ve been almost if even impossible to play with one leg. I do believe that a disability would matter being in my gender. I don’t think it would matter to me because I don’t care what nobody thinks now. But when other people start their debating and the media, that is when I believe that the gender would play a role.