5 sports figures who have inspired us through Tom Archdeacon

A high school wrestler with Down syndrome, whom we met recently in a column by Tom Archdeadon, is just one of the many figures who have inspired us through the Dayton Daily News award-winning sports columnist.

Here is a look some who have captured our imagination recently:

High School wrestler with Down syndrome brightens lives

Credit: Lisa Powell

Credit: Lisa Powell

While his Down syndrome often had kept him separated from his schoolmates, whether it’s with the special classes he attends at school or in the few invitations he gets on weekends to join others in their fun, Brooks Henning found a special way to become the center of attention.

‘Block of granite’ battles Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

Chuck Schretzman has been called back to West Point, not just because of all he’s done on the football and battle fields of the past, but because of the fight and toughness and resolve he’s showing now.

“The disease attacks everything — your voice, hands, legs, throat, your emotions, feeding, breathing … everything,” he said quietly. “It’s just evil. What kills you in the end is your breathing. Your muscles in your chest deflate your lungs.”

Life goes on for Big Steve’s ‘sister’

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

Her mom, Shanneca O’Bannon-Layfield, called them: “Two peas in a pod.” JaVonna Layfield agreed:

“We were best friends. He was the boy version of me. We literally were the same person, just different genders. He was me with a couple extra inches. Well, more like a whole foot!”

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

“When I was in the hospital, I was severely depressed,” she said. “Everybody goes through that when they have a traumatic event that happens to them and for me, I thought my life was over. I thought that I was never going to be able to do anything again.

“My personal goal became to walk again. And I’d do everything I could to make that happen. I had to remind myself that I’d never quit before. And I wasn’t going to now. I’m not a quitter.”

Grace Norman competes, inspires in Rio

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

Grace was born without her left foot and ankle and her right big toe because on an amniotic band disorder, a condition where fetal parts in the womb — often digits or limbs — become ensnared in fibrous bands.

With a Flex Foot Cheetah — the type of J-shaped carbon fiber prosthetic once made famous by the now infamous Paralympian and Olympian Oscar Pistorius — attached to her left leg, she went out for a training run along the nearby country roads that are flanked by fields of corn and soybeans.

About the Authors