Intramural inspiration

As far as athletes go, disabled players are often overlooked or considered to be on a lower level of competition than their able-bodied counterparts. One GCSU student, Jonathan Dahlhauser, is changing perceptions one game at a time.

Dahlhauser is a junior theater major who lost the use of his right hand and many cells in the right side of his body before he was even born. He had a stroke in utero, six months into the pregnancy, and stopped moving.

“I was the most active baby ever, so my mom immediately knew something was wrong,” Dahlhauser said. “She started shifting me from side to side until I would start moving and I think that’s why I was such a fighter from birth.”

He was the last of seven children and he credits tough love from his parents and siblings for his lack of self-pity.

“If I fell off my bike or scooter or whatever, they told me to get up. Their way of nurturing me was treating me exactly the same as my brothers and sisters,” Dahlhauser said. “They gave me crap about getting the handicapped pass at Six Flags to get in line first for the rides, man. I just say that’s part of the gift of the whole thing.”

Growing up is hard enough without a disability, but Dahlhauser had to develop especially thick skin and learn ways to deflect ridicule or ignore it. He especially dislikes it when people shy away from looking at his limp hand or talking about it.

“It bothers me that people feel like they can’t talk about my hand, like it’s not there. It’s there, I mean you can see it, so be free to talk about it. It’s not a bad thing.”

Most of Dahlhauser’s siblings were athletically active and he was no different, turning to sports as an outlet for his energy at an early age. He began playing soccer when he was 7, and began playing basketball shortly after. He ran cross country and track at Pope High School and said he would have made the basketball team, but the coaches didn’t think he could “physically handle it.”

“Everything is a growing process for me, you know, like when something bothers me, I just have to learn from it and not let it get to me again,” Dahlhauser said. “I think I could probably make the (GCSU) basketball team if I had use of both my hands.”

What Dahlhauser can do at GCSU is participate in intramural sports, which he particularly enjoys. He is currently involved in Ultimate Frisbee, playing for the Gecko Bulls. He amuses himself often by using his disability to motivate his teammates.

“When someone complains about a bad throw or something, I love being like, ‘Well I caught that with one hand, what’s your problem?’ ” Dahlhauser said.

As an athlete, Dahlhauser has learned to set and meet his own goals, but doesn’t like to be considered on a lower level. He likes competing with able-bodied students during intramurals and can stick with most of his competition on the field.

“Being motivated by what I have lost, because I’m always going after something better for myself, that has helped to make me a better athlete,” Dahlhauser said.

He hopes to one day become a motivational speaker, delivering a positive message to others through his outgoing personality.

“I’m just glad that I’m here to show people that no matter what you have, you can learn from others and yourself, and grow as a person.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 6 2009. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry