Anthony Robles, collegiate wrestler turned motivational speaker, was the special guest at our national conference. What an honor.
Here is his story:
http://anthonyrobles.com/bio.html
On
July 20, 1988, the doctors were not prepared when, Judy Robles, age 16,
gave birth to a baby boy who was missing his right leg. The doctors
could not explain what went wrong or why I was missing a leg. My mom,
however, always told me growing up that "God made me this way for a
reason" and she made me believe it. I finally realized what that reason
was when at the age of 14, in Mesa, Arizona, I tried out for the
wrestling team. My first year was horrible. I was the smallest kid on
the team weighing in at a whopping ninety pounds and without question,
the worst wrestler; finishing my first year with 5-8 record and in last
place at the Mesa City wrestling tournament. Not many people believed
that a tiny kid born with one leg, the worst wrestler in the city, would
ever excel in such a demanding sport . However, with the support of my
family and my coaches, I believed I could one day be a champion
wrestler; I believed that I could be UNSTOPPABLE. Despite various
obstacles along the way, I went from being last in the city to finishing
my junior and senior years at Mesa High School with a 96-0 record , a
2-time Arizona State Champion and a high school National Champion.
Despite finishing with an awesome high school record , few college
wrestling programs believed I could excel at the next level. They
thought I was too small to wrestle in college and that a one legged
wrestler could never compete with the nations best college wrestlers. My
mom raised me with my head in the clouds, so I believed I could do
anything I set my mind to. This way of thinking compelled me to walk
onto the Arizona State University wrestling team to prove to them, and
the world, anything was possible. Through trials and hardships, both on
and off the wrestling mat, I finished as a 3-time All-American and the
2011 NCAA National Champion. Although my competition days on the mat are
over, I will continue to wrestle the opponents life brings my way all
the while believing that I am UNSTOPPABLE.
