For the Love of Zoe: In a Year's Time, Du Quoin Athlete's Limb-Loss Camp Has Global Reach
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA["One, two, three…GO!" "Kick again and do it good this time!" These weren't the words of a varsity football coach, not even the words of the football coaches at the 2012 NubAbility Athletics Foundation All Sport Summer Camp at Greenville College that took place on July 20-22. They were the words of 4 year-old Zoe Bosanic who traveled all the way from Lansing Michigan to attend the athletic training camp for kids who live with limb-loss.
Zoe's parents signed her up to learn tumbling from gymnastics coach Linnea Dohring who also traveled all the way from Michigan to volunteer her time. Zoe was born in China and adopted by the Bosanic Family. She was given up for adoption because she was born without arms. She quickly won the hearts of all the campers, volunteers and coaches.
Zoe's spirit, like all of the coaches and campers at NubAbilty who have a limb-difference, is strong, independent and super silly. After completing her session of tumbling, Zoe decided she liked what she saw on the lawn of Scott Field at Greenville College taking place. Division 1 Defensive End and Maxwell Award winner Eddie Delaney from the University of Albany and Former Red Bud High School and incoming freshman football player for the Lynx at Lindenwood University in Belleville, Kevin Crafton, along with "assistants" Mason Akers, Tucker Kuhnert and Hunter Behm were conducting a football drills clinic.
So, Zoe became a football player! The fact that she has no arms didn't stop her. What she could do with her shoulder and chin was amazing. After working with her for just a few minutes, Zoe and the coaches discovered her true talent.
Place kicker football holder! Zoe would position the ball with both feet while sitting on the ground. She would align it perfectly with the tip straight up in the air and then she would, well….coach. She probably had the football coaches kicking hundreds of balls over the course of the weekend and she critiqued each and every one of them.
Zoe's camp registration was sponsored by Nick Hill Football. Zoe didn't know that. Doesn't know Nick. That's kind of how the whole camp went… one God "wink" after another. You can see a video of her, the other campers and the awesome coaches on Sam Kuhnert's foundation's Facebook page: NubAbility Athletics.
Sam Kuhnert a former Du Quoin Illinois High School athlete and member of the Class 3A Baseball third Place Team and a member of the 3A Football Runner-up Team, and a pitcher for Greenville College began the foundation in order to encourage, inspire, and instruct limb-different kids to get out of the stands, off the bench and into the game. This years camp shirt made by Main Street T's was in the USA colors in honor of all of the Olympians and ParaOlympians. The front said "Going For Gold" and the back, "I play the best with less and still win. Think I can't? Watch me!" That is the spirit and the encouragement that Kuhnert wants the kids with limb loss who dream of competing in organized sports to take to heart.
Fifteen campers with various limb-differences and their families attended the action packed weekend. There were over 50 people total at the camp. They stayed in apartment style dorms on campus and were treated to a catered Burger Que and free ice cream by Kahuna's of Greenville. Each camper chose a "Focus Sport" in which they got very detailed instruction on how to adapt their limb-difference in order to make them competitive with school and little league players at all levels. Each camper also attended sessions of the other sports offered: baseball, basketball, football, tumbling, softball, soccer and volleyball. All of the campers left the camp with more confidence and more of a positive self-image.
Luken Oden, from Herrin, Ill. has worked with Sam on baseball for over a year now. His mother Amber became a board member for the foundation because she had witnessed the growth in Luken's confidence and self-image after working with Sam and being around others with a similar limb-difference.
Rayden Loucks a seven-year-old camper from Du Quoin was brought to camp by his grandfather Kenny Harris. Rayden is a football and a baseball player. Kenny stated that the camp was as good for him as it was for Rayden.
10 year-old Nicklaus Toedebusch came from Centralia, Mo. He is a below the knee amputee. Of course, soccer was his focus sport! His coach Eric Westover plays every day with a team full of amputees.
Blake Milam, 12, from Georgia corresponded with Sam for a couple of years now. His whole family attended and watched the confidence soar in Blake as he was taught some tips on his fastball, fielding and the exchange of his glove from his nub to his hand and batting. All of the football coaches were also excited to work with Blake at the QB position. They tweaked his footwork. Gave him tips on how to read defenses and cut him loose. He's a natural.
NubAbility Athletics' campers came from Georgia, Wisconsin, Kansas, Texas, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois. They had coaches from New York,Oklahoma, South Carolina, Michigan and Illinois. Brett Shedivy, a 15-year-old sophomore football player from Wisconsin posted on the Facebook page that "camp was the best weekend of my life.
"Can you imagine getting one-on-one-training from a NFL prospect as a high school player?
Eric Westover is the goalie for the US National Amputee Soccer team and headed up the soccer sessions along with Linnea Dohring who is a gymnast and played soccer in Mchigan. Hayden Filson incoming freshman softball player for Heartland College and Sam headed up the baseball and softball sessions. Nicky Nieves who plays volleyball for the US ParaOlympic Setting Team was also a D1 Athlete. They rounded out the all-volunteer coaching staff, Along with Eddie Delaney and Kevin Crafton and are quite capable of coaching and instructing any athlete with all of their limbs as well.
The campers ranged in age from 4-16. Each has a personal story of perseverance and accomplishment that should inspire all to never quit. The Foundation is confident that next years camp will at least double in size and are hopeful to make a trip to a Latin American location as well to hold camp. In Latin America children with limb-loss and their families are shunned. NubAbility is going to change that. Shunning is not cool.
Sam and his family worked very hard at planning the inaugural camp and many generous donors provided the much needed funding to bring the 15 campers, volunteers and families to a quality athletic venue. It would not have been possible without all of Sam's grandparents and Attorney J. Mark Maclin, Harris Family Christian Foundation, Southern Ill. Miners, Du Quoin Jaycees, River Radio, Dick's Sporting Goods, and the Du Quoin State Bank who were all corporate sponsors. The No Limits Foundation, The Lucky Fin Project, My Special Hand and Born Just Right, which are all limb-difference advocacy organizations helped spread the word on social networking sites. The athletic department at Greenville College was very hospitable. The participation of our seven accomplished limb-different athletes that coached and coaches Tucker Kuhnert, Hunter Behm, and also Mason Akers who delivered the camp's Sunday Chapel message were vital to the success of the camp. NubAbility Athletics Foundation Board Member, Amber Oden of Herrin, Ill. and Sam's friends, Marisa Thomason, Lucy-Marie Photography owner, Hailey Harris were also instrumental in the success of the camp.
NubAbility Athletics is a faith-based organization. It was founded on the principle set forth in Philippians 4:13. While there is no biblical instruction at the camp other than the optional chapel service, the Foundation hopes that they represent the Christian faith and bring glory to their creator by the example of perseverance, compassion, mercy and grace. More information can be found on their website, www.nubability.org.