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Deaf Clover wrestler has his own fan club | The Herald - Rock Hill, SC
Lavaryo Williams lives in a world of silence.
He developed scarlet fever as a toddler, and at the age 3 it was discovered he was deaf.
Lavaryo Williams lives in a world filled with colors and something new to see every day. Sight is his strongest sense. It’s as if he’s on a swivel no matter where he is or what he’s doing.
Lavaryo Williams has periods of frustration and has been known to have temper bursts. He’s getting better every day at controlling his disposition, and the down periods have decreased.
Lavaryo Williams is turning the corner thanks to the teachers, coaches and schoolmates at Clover High School. Among them is Emily Walker, who often tags along as Williams’ interpreter and teaches signing as a foreign language at the high school.
And there’s Mike Fitzgerald, who coaches Clover’s wrestling team and allowed Williams to join his army of Blue Eagles wrestlers this year.
“We treat Lavaryo the same as we treat all of our wrestlers,’” Fitzgerald said. “He works hard and is required to do everything the other wrestlers do. I’ve even thrown him out of the gym during practice.
“He’s a good kid. He will be able to walk away from wrestling knowing it was a positive experience. He’s able to deal with anger now. He’s found a new respect for people and them for him.”
There are his teachers, who often show up for his matches. He has been described as a great student with a great attitude. Walker said that the day of a recent match, Williams asked teachers to come out to support the team and watch him wrestle.
“He had around 15 teachers sitting on the front row, and it was like he had his own cheering section,” Walker said. “He’s a very friendly and outgoing student. I really don’t believe he knows a stranger.
“This is the first year teaching signing has been allowed in South Carolina schools, and it’s a good thing for students with a hearing disability like Lavaryo. He has to have an interpreter in class and at school-sponsored events. With the signing class in place, there are plenty of teammates and cheerleaders to help him.”
Among those is Cole Gregory, a teammate on the wrestling team who takes signing as a class.
There’s his dad, Eugene Carpenter, who is a single father of three and substitute teacher in the Clover school district. His daughter, Zasu, plays basketball on the eighth-grade team. Another son, Jordan, plays basketball on Clover’s JV team.
“We do everything as a family,’” Carpenter said. “When one is playing, I’m in the stands with the other two watching. And since Lavaryo started wrestling, we could see his making progress and calming down.
“It used to be that when he had a bad day at school, it was a bad day at home. A good day at school meant a good day at home. We have mostly good days now, and I credit that to sports. At first, Lavaryo got mad when he lost. But it didn’t take long for him to get over it. Now when he loses, he grabs the other wrestler and hugs him. It’s a big surprise for opponents who don’t know him.”
Williams has not won a match all season. He has a pair of wins on his record, but only because two teams didn’t have a wrestler in Williams’ weight class and had to forfeit. But it’s not like winning and getting his hand raised in at least one match is his goal.
He’s a junior and turned 19 in the fall. Because of his age, he will not be allowed to wrestle next year because he will be 20 before the season starts.
“Lavaryo has a learning disability,” Carpenter said. “He has the learning capacity of a fourth grader and takes special classes, such as cooking and working with animals, that will help him have a career after school. He will not graduate with a regular diploma, and next year will be his last.”
Williams is in the school’s Community Based Training and is interested in obtaining employment upon graduation from high school. He wants to be a landscaper. And there is a chance at college. His supporters are hoping to get Williams into a program at Clemson that prepares at-need students for mainstream jobs.
Lavaryo Williams lives in a world of silence.
He developed scarlet fever as a toddler, and at the age 3 it was discovered he was deaf.
Lavaryo Williams lives in a world filled with colors and something new to see every day. Sight is his strongest sense. It’s as if he’s on a swivel no matter where he is or what he’s doing.
Lavaryo Williams has periods of frustration and has been known to have temper bursts. He’s getting better every day at controlling his disposition, and the down periods have decreased.
Lavaryo Williams is turning the corner thanks to the teachers, coaches and schoolmates at Clover High School. Among them is Emily Walker, who often tags along as Williams’ interpreter and teaches signing as a foreign language at the high school.
And there’s Mike Fitzgerald, who coaches Clover’s wrestling team and allowed Williams to join his army of Blue Eagles wrestlers this year.
“We treat Lavaryo the same as we treat all of our wrestlers,’” Fitzgerald said. “He works hard and is required to do everything the other wrestlers do. I’ve even thrown him out of the gym during practice.
“He’s a good kid. He will be able to walk away from wrestling knowing it was a positive experience. He’s able to deal with anger now. He’s found a new respect for people and them for him.”
There are his teachers, who often show up for his matches. He has been described as a great student with a great attitude. Walker said that the day of a recent match, Williams asked teachers to come out to support the team and watch him wrestle.
“He had around 15 teachers sitting on the front row, and it was like he had his own cheering section,” Walker said. “He’s a very friendly and outgoing student. I really don’t believe he knows a stranger.
“This is the first year teaching signing has been allowed in South Carolina schools, and it’s a good thing for students with a hearing disability like Lavaryo. He has to have an interpreter in class and at school-sponsored events. With the signing class in place, there are plenty of teammates and cheerleaders to help him.”
Among those is Cole Gregory, a teammate on the wrestling team who takes signing as a class.
There’s his dad, Eugene Carpenter, who is a single father of three and substitute teacher in the Clover school district. His daughter, Zasu, plays basketball on the eighth-grade team. Another son, Jordan, plays basketball on Clover’s JV team.
“We do everything as a family,’” Carpenter said. “When one is playing, I’m in the stands with the other two watching. And since Lavaryo started wrestling, we could see his making progress and calming down.
“It used to be that when he had a bad day at school, it was a bad day at home. A good day at school meant a good day at home. We have mostly good days now, and I credit that to sports. At first, Lavaryo got mad when he lost. But it didn’t take long for him to get over it. Now when he loses, he grabs the other wrestler and hugs him. It’s a big surprise for opponents who don’t know him.”
Williams has not won a match all season. He has a pair of wins on his record, but only because two teams didn’t have a wrestler in Williams’ weight class and had to forfeit. But it’s not like winning and getting his hand raised in at least one match is his goal.
He’s a junior and turned 19 in the fall. Because of his age, he will not be allowed to wrestle next year because he will be 20 before the season starts.
“Lavaryo has a learning disability,” Carpenter said. “He has the learning capacity of a fourth grader and takes special classes, such as cooking and working with animals, that will help him have a career after school. He will not graduate with a regular diploma, and next year will be his last.”
Williams is in the school’s Community Based Training and is interested in obtaining employment upon graduation from high school. He wants to be a landscaper. And there is a chance at college. His supporters are hoping to get Williams into a program at Clemson that prepares at-need students for mainstream jobs.
