12-Year-Old 'Throws' Wrestling Match So Boy With Cerebral Palsy Can Win

[goodlun]

I will say this much Justin Kievit, handled the situation rather well.

[judokarl]

I think its pretty F'ed up to put either kid in that situation. Blue was put a lose lose situation and made the most of it. I am all for disabled kids participating in sports and such but that kids wouldn't have got the pin except for the fact the other kid PULLED him on to himself then put his own shoulders to the mat. If I were the kid with cp I would have been so embarrassed by the pity win.

[legomepanda]

No, I was saying we should euthanize retards.

Oh, wait, no you're right, that's about the same page. Wow, that was a long fruedian slip.

[It is Fake]

He could probably watch, or maybe keep track of statistics with his wheelchair computer or something. But he'll never wrestle.

EXACTLY. So, he can participate in wrestling he just can't compete in matches.
Unless you are implying something different?

if he was a statistician, who learned moves during practice, you wouldn't care? A similar situation happened at my high school and the statistician was a team mate. He was disabled, but he was taught all of the plays, limited moves and was allowed in the huddle before the game. He didn't participate in the actual game.

That's what I took from your first post.

[legomepanda]

On the surface, it seems harmless, and I still think it took courage on the part of the kid with CP to risk ridicule.

If his dad knows anything about the internet he didn't just risk, but garaunteed ridicule when he put it up for the entire planet to see.

[Cowardly Lurker]

I actually see both sides and particularly appreciate the post from zwarte piet. Bottom line for me, as a dad, is that there's a sweet spot. On the one extreme, there's crushing your child's dreams and shackling him with your own doubts and judgments about what he can and can't do. On the other extreme is sheltering and lying to him to the point that he ends up in the gag reel on the first week of American Idol. The goal is to hit the sweet spot somewhere in the middle, letting kids take risks while protecting them from irreversible damage.

In this particular case, I don't know the entire story. We're looking at a snapshot in time and drawing all sorts of conclusions from it. On the surface, it seems harmless, and I still think it took courage on the part of the kid with CP to risk ridicule.

[Devil]

I'm saying he can't participate in wrestling. Because he... can't participate in wrestling. At least not the part where people wrestle. He could probably watch, or maybe keep track of statistics with his wheelchair computer or something. But he'll never wrestle.

He can sit in the audience and yell "Wooooooo!!!" and hold up four fingers every time somebody lands a backhand chop.

[Monsieur]

Cut the kid some slack. It was probably his first time wrestling, so it's normal for him to be a bit of a spaz.

[legomepanda]

So, for the third time, tell me where anyone said he can't participate in wrestling.

I'm saying he can't participate in wrestling. Because he... can't participate in wrestling. At least not the part where people wrestle. He could probably watch, or maybe keep track of statistics with his wheelchair computer or something. But he'll never wrestle.

[Ignorami]

There is one sad truth to accompany all this...

If the healthy kid had smashed the fuck out of the CP kid, it would have gotten more views on Youtube.

Merry Christmas everyone.

[alex]

i giggled, so ill join you there

[battlefields]

It seemed more like a jits match than wrestling. Weird strategy by the guy on his side, I suppose that the unexpectedness of it is what put the other guy off. I saw a decent attempt at a modified seio nage, but while they were both on the side he wasn't able to get his hips underneath him. I just have to wonder who is coaching these two, neither of them seemed to know anything about wrestling. I was screaming at the screen when he started dragging the other guy on top of him, I was like, "DUDE, what the fuck are you doing?!"

Anyway, the strategy seemed to work, the other guy fell right into the trap. I think the attempted victory breakdance was a bit much, I'm glad the adult picked him up off the floor to stop him, that kind of flamboyant showmanship is uncalled for at their age and likely to cause problems, especially when it appeared as though he was relatively unresponsive when his opponent tried to shake his hand to congratulate him on his victory.




I might be going to hell, but at least I got the comfy seat.

[Bok Choy]

Hey.. why not man. Good for him. Nothing to be harmed by it. If I had that illness, I would be happy too. The kid who let him win is a true human being. Give others a chance before oneself.
Enjoy life.

[sambosteve]

I found this video (which I saw about a week ago) to be very uncomfortable to watch.

I spent most of my career (before running my gym full time) working in pediatrics and before that in a group home for people living with developmental disabilities.

I have worked extensively with Make-a-Wish, various camps like the Hole in the Wall Gang, and the like. I don't see myself supporting this "wrestling" event. At least not in the way it appears (I am assuming the boy with CP wanted to do this).

Most wishes and the like I was involved with dealt with activities the child COULD do to some degree. The difference here is that, as noted in this thread, when kids with disabilities go horseback riding, boating, etc, they are still actually horseback riding. They are still experiencing the feel and thrill of sailing or riding, etc. This kid in the video could have strapped in for a tandem sky dive and he still would have been sky diving and experiencing what it is like to sky dive.

When I worked for Kids Kicking Cancer, we would teach martial arts in various pediatric oncology centers. The kids would never be Jackie Chan, but we focused on what they could do depending on their physical state. It built up their esteem, etc. It was a great experience. But we never held up mitts for someone who could not punch.

The difference I see in this "wrestling" video is that it is not wrestling, never will be wrestling. After this experience, this child still does not know what it feels like to wrestle. There is a point where I feel we simply need to stop being PC and be honest with people about what they can and can't do.

This vid reminds me of the guy with quadruple loss of limbs that "fought" MMA. He got his ass kicked. But the bottom line is that it was not MMA. It was some kind of bizarre sideshow display, but not MMA. NJ would not license him for the fight, but he went to another state that did. And after the fight he realized that it was pretty dumb to have done it.

There are many ways this child could have realistically been involved in the wrestling scene in a way that he can contribute (assuming all his faculties are there). Teach him to coach, get him involved with the team in a way that he can really play a role. Not as some kind of feel good display.

[ChuckWepner]

Here's a link to an ABC News video with more background to the match, including comments from Jared's father, Jared's coach, and Justin Kievit (the other boy).

Warning: Morning TV hosts comments before and after may cause diabetic coma; keep insulin handy while watching.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/wres...jared-17892438