Austin Eckley
Bel Air mom Jessica Eckley tried for years to find a sport where her autistic son Austin could excel. He had long wanted a trophy like the ones his siblings collected playing recreation league sports. But team sports had always proved too much of a challenge for 11-year-old Austin.
?
?We?ve tried different sports through different recreation programs,? said Jessica. ?Unfortunately, they are designed for children who can handle complex verbal directions and it never worked for us in that capacity.?
?
Then Austin suggested bowling.
?
His mom checked with Forest Hill Lanes assistant general manager Rose Murphy to make sure she was up to the challenges Austin?s autism could present.
?
?Her only response was, ?Bring him up. We?ll make it work,?? Jessica said of her conversation with Rose. ?I couldn?t believe it.?
?
Rose said she?s had a number of bowlers with special needs compete in Forest Hill Lanes? league programs. She said most find success with bowling that eludes them in other sports.
?
?For some reason, bowling seems to be their niche,? said Rose.
?
But none of them excelled like Austin. Austin won first place in the Forest Hill Lanes Winter League?s tournament for boys age 11 and under. His win earned him a trip to the regional competition in Aberdeen, where he won a medal and chance to compete in the state tournament in Salisbury.
?
?I?m just over the moon for them,? Rose said of the Eckleys.
?
?When he came in first place, he smiled and showed his teeth ? which he never does,? Jessica said of her son. ?He said, ?Mom, dreams do come true.??
?
In the beginning, Jessica wasn?t sure the season would have such a happy ending.
?
?The first day was very overwhelming,? Jessica said. ?There were a lot of children, a lot of noise. He would keep looking back to me for cues ? where to get his ball and shoes and when his turn was.?
?
Austin?s early scores were low and he was reserved with the other three boys on his team. But he progressed week after week. Jessica said he saw how his teammates were excited for him as he improved and he modeled their behavior. Every week she saw him give his teammates more high fives and cheers.
?
?He was modeling much more appropriate behavior as the season progressed,? said Jessica.
?
By the end of the season, she said Austin would know just where to to go to get his shoes and what lane to go to.
?
?We would follow his lead,? she said.
?
He was not only excelling in his social skills, but his score had soared as well. From starting the season with scores in the 50s, by the end he was scoring 139.
?
Jessica believes Austin excelled in this team sport because unlike most recreational sports, there weren?t a lot of rules and verbal instructions to follow. ?You?re in charge of your own performance but you are on a team.?
?
?It was amazing,? Rose said of Austin?s performance in the tournament when he came in first place among a group of 50 bowlers his age. ?It makes me tear up. Any little improvement you see, especially with kids with issues, it?s just a great thing.?
?
His win at Forest Hill Lanes qualified him for the regional tournament in Aberdeen, which he also won. But it wasn?t the wins that thrilled his mother most. It was the way he saw a friend at Aberdeen and walked right up to him to greet him.
?
?I think the excitement of bowling outweighs any anxiety he might have,? Jessica said. ?He goes in and gets right down to business. He gets the ball he wants and his shoes. It?s just amazing.?
?
Jessica said it was something else that thrilled Austin the most.
?
?He said, ?Mommy, finally I have a trophy.??
?
Category: News, Sports & Rec
aaron smith wilt chamberlain joe arpaio national weather service cat in the hat green eggs and ham amber rose
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.