As a kid, Hasaan Hawthorne would watch World Wrestling Entertainment and imagine himself among the stars. With his babysitter standing in for The Undertaker or another one of WWE's colorful characters, Hawthorne would climb to the top of his couch -- in his mind, the top rope of the wrestling ring -- and launch himself down on his opponent.
His dream was a common one.
His challenge in getting there, however, was anything but.
So how to explain the scene inside a sweaty Huntsville, Ala., gymnasium on Saturday? How to explain the blur of a yellow and green uniform, broad back and massive arms, pinning one opponent after another to the mat?
The answer involves pain, perseverance and a whole lot of sacrifice.
Hasaan was born into a world of worry. He was his parents' first child, and like all first-time parents they had no idea how to raise a kid, let alone one with a serious disability.
They chose amputation. And after 10 months of riding around on Tonka trucks, Hasaan received the first in a long line of prosthetic legs, according to the Birmingham News.
"If we're at the park and we're walking, and he stumbles over a rock or something, people are like, 'Poor baby,' and they try to pick him up," Felecia Hawthorne told AL.com. "We're like, 'Nope. Leave him alone. He knows how to get up.'
With each passing day, however, the thuds became less frequent. And by the age of 2 or 3, Hasaan had ditched his walker and started to walk around on his hands. He climbed out of his crib and began roughhousing with his father and babysitters.
Despite his disability, Hasaan was a sports fanatic. At age five, he convinced his parents to let him play baseball.
"Like the whole time, I'm thinking, 'It's not a good idea, it's not a good idea,'" his father told AL.com.
Hasaan broke one ultra expensive pair of running legs after another by running track or by sliding into second. But there was simply no stopping him. By age 11, he had turned his disability upside down.
"I think it's funner having prosthetics than real legs because you get to do more stuff," he told a reporter. "I don't like to see people sad, I like to cheer people up. I'm just like other people, just with different legs."
At first, Hasaan was humble about his ambitions.
"I like that you get to make a bunch of friends and you get to run," an 11-year-old Hasaan said of playing baseball. "I think able-bodied sports are more of a challenge. I just try to catch up with everyone else and impress my coach."
He had to put up with nicknames like Robokid or rumors that he had lost his legs in a train accident.
"We teach him that life is not fair and to have faith in God and trust in God," Demond told the Associated Press. "We don't want Hasaan to rely on us to take away the bad guys and make the bad stuff go away. We want him to live a proactive life on his own."
As Hasaan got older, however, he slowly figured out in which sports he could compete. He tried playing defensive tackle in football for a while, but offensive linemen on the opposing team kept on landing on him.
That left wrestling, the sport of his WWE dreams.
Again, his father had fears.
"I don't know about this," Demond thought to himself. "I don't know if this is a good idea."
But Hasaan wasn't having any of it. He started wrestling seriously in sixth grade. That was the same year that a one-legged wrestler named Anthony Robles won an NCAA championship after walking onto his college team.
"I said, 'Why can't I do it?'" Hawthorne told AL.com. "It just looked cool to me."
Wrestling allowed Hawthorne to be truly himself: no prosthetics, just his natural grit and determination.
During his high school career, Hawthorne has experienced ups and downs. Competing on his amputated legs, what he calls his "nubs," has led to occasional health complications, requiring additional surgeries and leading to setbacks. But he ended his junior year strongly, finishing third in the state for his weight class.
For his senior year, he dropped 15 pounds, down to just 145. But that number is a bit misleading. Hawthorne stands six-foot-five-inches tall wearing his prosthetics and with legs, would weigh well over 200 pounds.
Debate rages over whether or not his disability is an advantage on the wrestling mat. Being legless gives him a low center of gravity and makes it harder for opponents to grab him, but it also deprives Hawthorne of the ability to arch his back to avoid pins.
Either way, there is no arguing with the result. This year he went 37-0, capping an undefeated season with a come-from-behind win in the state final. He was also named Alabama's Most Valuable Wrestler for class 6A.
He stood on his nubs on the awards podium, his head just below his vanquished opponents but beaming the smile of an undefeated champion.
The dream that began by watching WWE and throwing himself off his couch isn't over yet, however. Hawthorne said he intends to go to Nationals and then compete in college.
"If everybody gave their heart and desire into doing what they want to do like he does, they'd be a lot more athletes out there that are phenomenal," Scott Verner, his former youth coach, told AL.com.
"He does more with his heart and desire than anything else."
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
His dream was a common one.
His challenge in getting there, however, was anything but.
So how to explain the scene inside a sweaty Huntsville, Ala., gymnasium on Saturday? How to explain the blur of a yellow and green uniform, broad back and massive arms, pinning one opponent after another to the mat?
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The answer involves pain, perseverance and a whole lot of sacrifice.
Hasaan was born into a world of worry. He was his parents' first child, and like all first-time parents they had no idea how to raise a kid, let alone one with a serious disability.
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They chose amputation. And after 10 months of riding around on Tonka trucks, Hasaan received the first in a long line of prosthetic legs, according to the Birmingham News.
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"If we're at the park and we're walking, and he stumbles over a rock or something, people are like, 'Poor baby,' and they try to pick him up," Felecia Hawthorne told AL.com. "We're like, 'Nope. Leave him alone. He knows how to get up.'
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With each passing day, however, the thuds became less frequent. And by the age of 2 or 3, Hasaan had ditched his walker and started to walk around on his hands. He climbed out of his crib and began roughhousing with his father and babysitters.
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Despite his disability, Hasaan was a sports fanatic. At age five, he convinced his parents to let him play baseball.
"Like the whole time, I'm thinking, 'It's not a good idea, it's not a good idea,'" his father told AL.com.
Hasaan broke one ultra expensive pair of running legs after another by running track or by sliding into second. But there was simply no stopping him. By age 11, he had turned his disability upside down.
"I think it's funner having prosthetics than real legs because you get to do more stuff," he told a reporter. "I don't like to see people sad, I like to cheer people up. I'm just like other people, just with different legs."
At first, Hasaan was humble about his ambitions.
"I like that you get to make a bunch of friends and you get to run," an 11-year-old Hasaan said of playing baseball. "I think able-bodied sports are more of a challenge. I just try to catch up with everyone else and impress my coach."
He had to put up with nicknames like Robokid or rumors that he had lost his legs in a train accident.
"We teach him that life is not fair and to have faith in God and trust in God," Demond told the Associated Press. "We don't want Hasaan to rely on us to take away the bad guys and make the bad stuff go away. We want him to live a proactive life on his own."
As Hasaan got older, however, he slowly figured out in which sports he could compete. He tried playing defensive tackle in football for a while, but offensive linemen on the opposing team kept on landing on him.
That left wrestling, the sport of his WWE dreams.
Again, his father had fears.
"I don't know about this," Demond thought to himself. "I don't know if this is a good idea."
But Hasaan wasn't having any of it. He started wrestling seriously in sixth grade. That was the same year that a one-legged wrestler named Anthony Robles won an NCAA championship after walking onto his college team.
"I said, 'Why can't I do it?'" Hawthorne told AL.com. "It just looked cool to me."
Wrestling allowed Hawthorne to be truly himself: no prosthetics, just his natural grit and determination.
During his high school career, Hawthorne has experienced ups and downs. Competing on his amputated legs, what he calls his "nubs," has led to occasional health complications, requiring additional surgeries and leading to setbacks. But he ended his junior year strongly, finishing third in the state for his weight class.
For his senior year, he dropped 15 pounds, down to just 145. But that number is a bit misleading. Hawthorne stands six-foot-five-inches tall wearing his prosthetics and with legs, would weigh well over 200 pounds.
Debate rages over whether or not his disability is an advantage on the wrestling mat. Being legless gives him a low center of gravity and makes it harder for opponents to grab him, but it also deprives Hawthorne of the ability to arch his back to avoid pins.
Either way, there is no arguing with the result. This year he went 37-0, capping an undefeated season with a come-from-behind win in the state final. He was also named Alabama's Most Valuable Wrestler for class 6A.
He stood on his nubs on the awards podium, his head just below his vanquished opponents but beaming the smile of an undefeated champion.
The dream that began by watching WWE and throwing himself off his couch isn't over yet, however. Hawthorne said he intends to go to Nationals and then compete in college.
"If everybody gave their heart and desire into doing what they want to do like he does, they'd be a lot more athletes out there that are phenomenal," Scott Verner, his former youth coach, told AL.com.
"He does more with his heart and desire than anything else."
© 2016 The Washington Post
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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