Think about the most frustrated you have ever been when playing a sport. Maybe you’re a basketball player and you know what it feels like to have an 0-for-10 shooting night and contribute nothing to the team. Maybe you’re a baseball player who has been in a 10-game slump that makes you feel like you couldn’t hit a beach ball. Perhaps you are a running back who knows the feeling of an offensive line that can’t pick up a block. All of the aforementioned scenarios combined probably would not be as frustrating as trying to play hockey with one hand.
Think about it for a second: how is holding a hockey stick and shooting a puck even possible without two hands? If you want to know the answer, ask Woodland Park’s (Colorado) Luke Grizzell, who excels on the ice at his high school despite not having a left hand.
“It’s not a big deal to me,” the 16-year old told the Denver Post. “I guess I’m pretty determined to do what I want and prove other people wrong.”
To say he has proven many wrong would be a massive understatement. Luke’s father, Wayne, says Luke even designed a pouch that goes on the end of his left arm and holds the stick so he can control it. Obviously what Grizzell is lacking on the physical front is more than accounted for with determination.
“If by some miracle I’m able to do something with hockey in the future, I’d sure be on board, but that’s probably not too likely,” he said. “I like to skate and hit people and just try to help my team.”
Next time you’re having a bad game and feeling sorry for yourself, try keeping Grizzell’s story in mind. It might help keep things in perspective.
H/T to Prep Rally for the story.
