Personal Statement
I recently moved to a different school, in a different state, to pursue a dream every football player has, to play the greatest game on earth. Changing schools at your junior year can be challenging to some, but I looked at it as an adventure and a chance at a better life.
Attending the same school since kindergarten should give a child a bit more security, coaches and teachers knowing how much he wants to compete and knowing how much he endured to get that chance. That wasn’t the case for me.
I was in the weight room every day it was open, ran the track weekends and days out of school, played on the scout team for football, and sat my 6'4 220 pound frame on the C team bench for basketball. I never approached the coaches other than to ask what I could do better. I believe they liked me, they just couldn’t see benching an abled bodied player to let me show them what I could do for the team.
I broke my tibia when I was six years old, playing football. The love of our lives sure can hurt us the most. It never healed. I had eight surgeries, treatments, radiations, changed doctors, got second and third opinions, all before the age of nine. When the doctors told me they could either amputate or keep trying in vain to save a diseased leg, I made the decision to “cut my losses.” I told my mom, “It’s football not feetball, and I am ready to play.”
I never looked back, couldn't regret and had to make the most of what opportunities were given to me. I figured with my size and speed I would make a great athlete on any team. I grew and trained to get faster, stronger and greater without my leg. I attended the University of Texas football camp, University of Wyoming camp, competed at combines and continued to work hard even before my junior year. This past year, I was selected to represent the USA at the 2020 World Games in Thailand in the 100, 200, long jump and discus. I was also offered full ride adaptive track scholarships to Arizona State University and the University of Texas Arlington. But instead of playing time on the field that I love, I was given pity and shakes of the head, being left on the bench because the coach was “not sure if it’s a good idea for you to go in.”
It is the middle of basketball season, and I am back on the junior varsity bench. I get a little playing time. The other night I went in for about two minutes, scored ten points, had three rebounds and two assists and the coach took me out. The assistant said, "Leave Derik in, he's on fire." The head coach said another player needed more time.
I don’t always fee I fit in with the adaptive sports, my loss is minimal, not really “disabled.” But I am not given the chance to fit in with my able bodied peers at school. Where I do fit in? Playing any sport. We are all challenged and should all be allowed to challenge others to be better. Young athletes growing up with differences need a place to dig in next to other athletes and challenge themselves and their opponents. Everyone is the same at the starting line or the kickoff. It’s what we bring to the game that makes us different.
You ask what makes me a good candidate, what makes me different from other recruits. I am diligent, which just means I do the ordinary things in an excellent way, and diligence will prosper. My hand is outstretched to the guard I knocked down in a rebound before the basketball hits the floor. There is a funny clip of me helping the quarterback up after I knocked him into next week. I am also the excellence on the bench, the first one up when our team makes a dunk. You will find me at the gym after practice working in the weight room on weekends, committed to qualifying for a chance at the game I love. I love football, sometimes maybe too much. But it is a great game that brings people together cheering for the underdog, the champion, the kid off the bench who just wouldn’t be satisfied until he contributed to his team. Wouldn’t you want a reserve or a fresh starter of some of that character and diligence on your team?
