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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2008 > March > 02 > Entry
The Most “Beautiful-est” Sight
Dustin Carter was talking to me about when he dreams at night:
“Sometimes, yeah, I do have legs in them.. But when I wake up, I don’t usually remember a whole lot of what was going on.”
He will remember what went on this past wrestling season — which by the way began with a golden mohawk that his mom eventually made him grow out for senior pictures. And he’ll remember how it all turned into such a golden moment for almost everyone who saw him at the state wrestling tournament this past weekend in Columbus.
If you are a sports fan — better yet, a fan of the human race — you owe Dustin Carter a big vote of thanks.
The Hillsboro High senior — who wrestles with no hands or feet because of a deadly blood infection that forced the amputations when he was just five — pulled off quite a herculean task right in front of our eyes.
And I’m not just talking about his 40-4 record as a Division II 103- pound wrestler, his advancement to the state meet and his opening-round victory there.
I’m talking about the way he lifted us.
His arms are really little more than stubs yet they were long enough to lift the rest of us high above the sludge pit so much of sports has become recently thanks to the likes of Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, jettisoned Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson and former St. Louis Cardinals infielder Scott Spiezio, whose recent rap sheet includes six charges, everything from hit and run to assault and battery.
Even the local prep scene has had its sour situations, be it the Miami East girls basketball coach suspended for alleged inappropriate e-mails to a underage girl or the total ineptitude displayed by the Jefferson High sports administration which — in a 24-hour period — managed to have both its basketball team and its lone qualifier to the state wrestling tournament declared ineligible.
But Friday afternoon — after Carter finally bowed out of the state tournament with his second loss — there he sat in tears on the matted floor of the Schottenstein Center. Such a tiny figure about to grow before everyone’s eyes.
As the crowd stood and began to applaud, he suddenly raised those arms high, a salute to the fans to himself and to the glorious moment between them.
Carter exemplifies the best in the human spirit — will, dedication, honesty, appreciation … and a sense of humor.
And he brought out the best in most of the rest of us — respect, compassion, pride and utter delight.
As for those few naysayers who cropped up in the stands at the Schott, on the wrestling forum of the Yappi prep sports website and on WLW — how about joining Bill Cunningham on that wrong-headed boat to nowhere.
Carter’s teammate Greg Rhoads voiced his opinion to those fans in the stands grousing that Dustin had an unfair advantage because of his upper body strength.
Did they forget he has no hands to grab with? No legs with which to bridge? That he must rely almost solely on one small arm to squeeze?
What are they, nuts?
The same grousers showed up on the WLW airwaves the other night and that prompted Dustin’s dad, Russ, to call in and defend his son.
“I told Dustin he went way beyond his expectations and what we expected of him,” Russ told me Saturday night. ” I told him he was an inspiration to everyone who saw him or heard about his story.”
That’s why Wal-mart recently had him speak to some of its employees, why at least one small college in the area is said to be considering him for its wrestling program and why Katie Couric will feature him on her CBS evening newscast this coming Friday.
As Dustin told reporters after his final match in Columbus:
“I just thought everybody was proud of me. State championship, most beautiful-est gym I’ve ever been in my life, mats — 10 of ‘em on the floor — referees, wrestlers, wrestling…It’s beautiful… I’d rather see that than some mountain sight any day.”
With him on the mat, so would we.
Thanks for sharing your dream, young man.
Comments
By Lori Roush
March 3, 2008 7:42 PM | Link to this
Tom, I’ve read many, many articles on Dustin (including my own) and this one is top notch. Great job.