No Limitations
Smith played golf and baseball previously, so he knows how to wield a stick. He also can ring up 15 military pull-ups without a problem.
Photo by Louis Lopez
Rick Riley, founder and owner of Specialty Prosthetic Systems in Carson City, Nev., said Chandler’s healthy attitude and active life isn’t surprising.
Socially and technologically, society has advanced dramatically Riley said since he lost his right leg just below the knee 38 years ago in a motorcycle accident. Riley is a prosthetic industry activist, product innovator and president of a million-dollar company. Six of the seven people who work for his company are amputees and have worn prosthetics for a combined 175 years.
Among many physical feats, Riley has bicycled 2,500 kilometers in the Alps, climbed Mt. Rainier and represented the U.S. in skiing at the Disabled Olympics and Able Bodied World Masters Championships in Seefield, Australia. He was also part of the first disabled competition in the U.S. Biathlon Championships in 1989.
Over the years, Riley has watched the number of amputees participating in organized competitive sports climb to now more than 5,000. Almost 20 percent of those are at the prep level.
“We now definitely live in an enlightened society (concerning amputees),” Riley said. “When I lost my leg in 1974, parents of children would pull their kids aside and say ‘Don’t bother that gentlemen,’ Today, kids come up and just say ‘Cool. You’re like the bionic man.’
“Today there is no social sigma.”
And there is no shortage of heroes for Chandler and others to follow. Among the many:
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Jim Abbott, 44, was born without a right hand. He played 10 Major League seasons and won 89 games for four different teams and threw a no-hitter in 1993.
Smith and the Pumas (7-3-1) close their
season Saturday in the Nathan Powell tourney.
Photo by Louis Lopez
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Alex Fourie, 16, was born without a right arm. But he can drive a golf ball 270 yards for Shades Mountain Christian (Hoover, Ala.). He’s co-captain of the golf and soccer teams at Shades Mountain Christian and kicker on the football team.
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Jeff Kiba, 27, was born without a fibula. He broke the Skyline (Sammamish, Wash.) high jump record his first meet (6-2) and went on to set a Paralympic world record jump of 6-11 in 2007.
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Sarah Reinertsen, 36, is an above-the-knee amputee who was also born with proximal femoral focal deficiency. She was the first to complete an Ironman Triathlon (2005) and holds the world record for above-the-knee amputee in the marathon (5:27) and half marathon (2:12).
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Anthony Robles, 23, was born with one leg. He won the 2010-11 NCAA 125-pound national wrestling championship for Arizona State and finished 36-0. Robles won two state titles at Mesa (Ariz.), was 129-15 in his prep career and 96-0 during his final two seasons.
“In my experience over the years, the only limitations of the amputee is whatever they place upon themselves,” Riley said.
And at this point, Chandler, or his family, has placed few, if any.
“I don’t think my son tries harder because he has a disability or he’s trying to prove anything,” Richard said. “He tries hard just because he wants to get better at something.”
Said Mann: “He just wants to play. He wants to come out and have a good time and get better. He doesn’t see his own limitations and no one else sees it either. It’s very encouraging at every level.”
Said Jennifer: “He doesn’t let anything stop him. That’s what I love about him.”
Said Chandler: “There’s no limits. I have a mindset that I can do anything.”
Email senior writer and columnist Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com and follow him on Twitter @MitchMashMax.
