Inspirational story

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WRESTLING: Shippensburg's Roland Adams finds his niche

By ED GOTWALS Sports editor

 

This is not a sports story about a big winner ... at least, not in terms of his record.

 

After all, Roland Adams is 6-22 this year wrestling at 103 pounds for the Shippensburg Greyhounds and in his one victory that wasn't by forfeit, he didn't even realize he'd won.

 

No, this is a story about a kid who refuses to simply accept the fate that life has dealt him. Wrestling is just one of the ways he is fighting back.

 

For somebody like Roland Adams, you don't measure success by wins and losses. Just the fact that he is out there on the mat competing, and helping his team, means more than any district or state medal could.

 

You see, Adams was born with spina bifida, which means his spine wasn't formed properly. From the point where his spine splits, he has no movement. Adams looks normal above the waist -- in fact, he is a little over-developed than most boys his age -- but his legs are almost devoid of muscles and are practically useless.

 

In school and around the house, Adams gets around in a wheelchair. For wrestling matches and at other times, he uses a set of Loftstand crutches. To get from the team huddle to the scorer's table, and then out onto the mat, Adams must walk by balancing himself with his hands on the floor.

 

Are you asking yourself yet, "Why does this kid want to wrestle?"

 

The simple answer is, "Because he can."

 

Adams has found that wrestling is something he likes. He gets a lift from being around his teammates.

 

And, he

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said, "I enjoy getting the experience of how tough the sport is."

 

An inspiration

 

The real reason Adams decided to give wrestling a try is that he was moved after watching a show on television.

 

Mary Gayle Adams, Roland's mother, said, "We were watching 'Extreme Makeover' one night, and one of the kids in that family was severely handicapped, but he was still wrestling in college. Roland saw that and got interested. It showed him that it was something he could do."

 

He gave it a try last year as a ninth-grader on the middle school team, and this year moved up to the Hounds' varsity team.

 

Now he's an inspiration to others.

 

Owen Adams, Roland's brother, is a former Shippensburg wrestler. He was stationed in Iraq when Roland decided to pick up the sport, but he's back now and is able to watch Roland compete.

 

"It sucks to see him get put on his back," Owen said, "but I'm proud of him because he always fights to get off. I see some quality wrestlers who get put on their back and just give up ... but not Roland.

 

"He's on his back a lot, but he constantly fights it. And he doesn't get frustrated."

 

That might be the biggest reason Roland has earned Owen's respect.

 

Owen said, "When I was a sophomore, I was 7-16 and I didn't know if I'd stick with it. But I came back and went 21-8 (each of his last two years). I know how discouraged I was, but Roland doesn't show it. He just goes out and puts everything he has into each match."

 

Shippensburg 215-pounder Kevin Cloud said, "He never gives up, like I've seen plenty of other guys do. Roland always fights the whole time and that's why we respect him so much."

 

"Just watching him out there wrestling is an inspiration to all of us to work harder," said Jordan Albright, the Hounds' 160-pounder.

 

Unique challenge

 

A wrestler without the use of his legs is at a huge disadvantage.

 

Owen Adams said, "When he's wrestling, Roland is so low (to the mat) and he can't sprawl out or get any drive with his legs."

 

Shippensburg coach Scott Bullock said, "Sometimes in practice we do some different things that might help him, but he wants no special treatment. We're getting there."

 

Bullock said several times this year opposing coaches have talked to either him or Roland and suggested some moves that might help.

 

"Some of those guys have worked with kids with handicaps before," Bullock said, "and we've picked up a few things.

 

"He's strong in his upper body just from getting around, but he needs to work on his balance and leverage. He'll get better simply because he works so hard at it."

 

Cloud said, "We don't act like he has a handicap. Really, the only thing he can't take part in is the running. Other than that, he's just another wrestler."

 

Adams said he's happy with his improvement in his second year of wrestling

 

"I know more moves and I'm staying strong," he said. "I'm learning ways to not get pinned. I've learned some takedowns and some pinning combinations and I know wrestling has helped me be in better shape."

 

The big victory

 

Adams has picked up five forfeit wins this season, which is worth six team points each time. And while he has given up numerous pins, he's also saved some team points by going the distance several times.

 

But the one match that everybody who was there will remember came against Carlisle in the Gettysburg Duals. Adams was facing Andrew DeLucio and fell behind in the score.

 

That's when the highlight of the season happened.

 

Adams said, "He was trying to pin me with a cradle, but I rolled over and got him in a cradle, too."

 

At that point, the official blew the whistle and slapped the mat.

 

"I was pretty much confused," Adams said. "I thought I had lost. I really didn't know I'd won until the referee raised my hand."

 

But his teammates knew what had happened.

 

"That was a spectacular moment," Albright said, "and it was great to be a part of it. It gave everybody a big boost of confidence."

 

Cloud said, "That was really a big deal for us."

 

Just a kid

 

While Adams' story is not normal, plenty of things about him are.

 

Not surprisingly for a teen, he's heavily into working on computers. That's what he's studying at the Franklin County Career and Technology Center, and he's getting Bs and Cs.

 

He climbs trees and likes jumping on a trampoline.

 

Mary Gayle Adams said, "We took the kids to a water slide last year and he really liked that. And he's a great uncle to his nephews."

 

"He's great at fixing things around the house," Owen Adams said. "If I show him once how to do something, he can do it himself the next time."

 

That sense of normalcy carries over to the wrestling team, too.

 

Albright said, "He's just like anybody else. He's Roland and he's one of us, so we treat him just the same."

 

When he's at home, however, Roland's life is anything but normal -- except to him.

 

He lives with his family in the former Mainsville Elementary School just outside of Shippensburg and his family is a large one -- currently there are 28 kids ranging in age from 4 to 28 living there.

 

Mary Gayle had four kids of her own, including Owen, who are now out on their own. She has adopted the rest. And none of those 28 kids is what you or I would call normal.

 

Among her current family are other kids with spina bifida, and others affected by Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, blindness, deafness and even some kids who are missing extremities. Roland was born in Honduras but has lived here since he was 4 1/2.

 

"Some people see me as a sinner and others as a saint," Mary Gayle said, "but to us, it's just a big family. It teaches you to see people for who they are, not what they look like."

 

Here's what Roland is: He's just another kid looking to grow up and have fun doing it.

 

Owen, who built a house of his own next to the family's dwelling, said, "Roland's just a normal kid in a lot of ways. But being average when you have a disability like he has is exceptional."

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Great story. Back in my time, a nearby school had a wrestler like this. He didn't have much for legs and was very strong above the waist. He was a solid wrestler.