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By Nomadic Chris, 27 January 2010
"It's not every day that a sighted person can look at a blind person and say 'they're doing it' so he can do it." Charlie Wilks, teenage blind football player.
Have you ever played the full contact sport of American football?
The speed and ferocity of the game can be brutal. It is not for the faint of heart to play or even watch! Imagine playing in a defensive role where your job is to physically overcome your equally determined opponents. Now imagine playing completely blind...
The power is sport is its amazing ability to transcend all boundaries. The playing field is always level and everyone has an equal chance regardless of their background. Young Charlie Wilks is the living embodiment of this; he is a young teen who loves playing sports but there is one difference! Charlie is totally BLIND but still plays as a rough and tumble player alongside his able bodied team mates for the Emporia Middle School Vikings.
Charlie was born with normal vision but circumstances dramatically changed. Just before he entered first grade, Charlie was found to have a brain tumor. The size of the tumor unfortunately was quite large and this damaged his optic nerve. This resulted in blindness at the young age of six. Potentially, this could have signalled a downward spiral and eventually depression but Charlie was optimistic for the future. Charlie also had a goal to aim for; he loved football and aspired to play to a high level!
Fortunately, Charlie also came from a family with a NFL tradition (His grandfather Al Reynolds played for the Kansa City Chiefs in Superbowl 1) and they supported his development as a player and an individual. Charlie could still read the game properly as he still remembers watching high quality games on TV before his blindness set in.
Through sheer determination to be a normal everyday teen, he worked hard to get onto his high school football team on merit. Amazingly, he achieved this and now the Emporia Middle School Vikings are receiving global attention as Charlie excels in his role as a defensive noseguard.
How does Charlie play? Well, he listens intently to his coaches instructions and to all his teamates as they line up on the field. As a defensive player, he has to try to sack the opponents quarterback. He has achieved a few sacks on his own and is definitely an integral part of the team. It does not always go right and sometimes Charlie tackles his own players!
Charlies story has made him a true role model and inspired others to go beyond any percieved disabilites to live their lives to the full. When Charlie was a guest of the Kansa City Chiefs, some of the players (Millionaires and megastar celebrities!) wanted to meet him as he shared his incredible story.
Charlies story is both inspirational and motivational for ALL! A person can do anything in life. They just have to believe in themselves and in Charlies case, have a great team for support!
Dream Big!
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