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The Frederick News-Post Online - Frederick County Maryland Daily Newspaper
Ryan Bonheyo, like most who strive for greatness, is not planning to let the obstacles he faces get in the way of his dreams.
Bonheyo, a junior at the Maryland School for the Deaf, has wanted to be a professional football player since he was a child.
Born deaf into a deaf family, Bonheyo began playing football at age 5. He dismisses any notion that deafness hinders his prospects.
The fact his father was a high school football coach, and that he grew up in Texas, a football-obsessed state, does not hurt his chances for success, he said.
When he was in elementary school, Bonheyo said he played on hearing baseball, basketball and football teams. He said his hearing football coaches would create different signals to represent every play formation.
"I often taught some players how to do fingerspelling and did a lot of gestures to communicate with them," he said.
Bonheyo moved to Frederick when he was 10 and enrolled at the Maryland School for the Deaf.
Bonheyo is a running back and linebacker. He helped the Orioles maintain their 28-game winning streak, which has spanned two-and-a-half years, one of the longest in state history, he said. The Orioles have won the national deaf prep championships the past five years.
In 2007, Bonheyo racked up 1,591 rushing yards, with an average of 12.3 yards per carry, and scored 26 touchdowns, he said.
Bonheyo has been selected as a linebacker this year for the Baltimore Touchdown Club's Super 22, a group of 65 junior all-stars from the region who will be honored at a banquet May 6 in Glen Burnie.
Also, he has been invited to a Nike football training camp in May at Penn State University. The camp is designed to prepare and train top high school players around the country for college teams.
After he graduates, he said he hopes to win a scholarship to a Division I college near his home.
He likes living in Frederick, he said, and has never seen a place more ready to embrace the deaf community.
Going out to eat at fast food restaurants is an example, he said. Servers are often ready with a pen and paper, and some even know American Sign Language.
"The hearing community here is very motivated," Bonheyo said.
At the Maryland School for the Deaf, Bonheyo is not at a disadvantage on the field. If he makes his way to a hearing team, he said that it will mean he will have to fight his way through the challenges.
Bonheyo said he and others in the deaf community are not looking for sympathy.
"We're not sorry we're deaf," Bonheyo said, "so other people should move on, because we do."
If things don't work out with his aspirations for football, Bonheyo said he would like to own his own business, preferably having something to do with sports.
The most important thing about living with a disability, Bonheyo said, is not letting it pull you down.
"If you give it your all and fail, then at least you won't have to wonder what would have happened," he said.
Ryan Bonheyo, like most who strive for greatness, is not planning to let the obstacles he faces get in the way of his dreams.
Bonheyo, a junior at the Maryland School for the Deaf, has wanted to be a professional football player since he was a child.
Born deaf into a deaf family, Bonheyo began playing football at age 5. He dismisses any notion that deafness hinders his prospects.
The fact his father was a high school football coach, and that he grew up in Texas, a football-obsessed state, does not hurt his chances for success, he said.
When he was in elementary school, Bonheyo said he played on hearing baseball, basketball and football teams. He said his hearing football coaches would create different signals to represent every play formation.
"I often taught some players how to do fingerspelling and did a lot of gestures to communicate with them," he said.
Bonheyo moved to Frederick when he was 10 and enrolled at the Maryland School for the Deaf.
Bonheyo is a running back and linebacker. He helped the Orioles maintain their 28-game winning streak, which has spanned two-and-a-half years, one of the longest in state history, he said. The Orioles have won the national deaf prep championships the past five years.
In 2007, Bonheyo racked up 1,591 rushing yards, with an average of 12.3 yards per carry, and scored 26 touchdowns, he said.
Bonheyo has been selected as a linebacker this year for the Baltimore Touchdown Club's Super 22, a group of 65 junior all-stars from the region who will be honored at a banquet May 6 in Glen Burnie.
Also, he has been invited to a Nike football training camp in May at Penn State University. The camp is designed to prepare and train top high school players around the country for college teams.
After he graduates, he said he hopes to win a scholarship to a Division I college near his home.
He likes living in Frederick, he said, and has never seen a place more ready to embrace the deaf community.
Going out to eat at fast food restaurants is an example, he said. Servers are often ready with a pen and paper, and some even know American Sign Language.
"The hearing community here is very motivated," Bonheyo said.
At the Maryland School for the Deaf, Bonheyo is not at a disadvantage on the field. If he makes his way to a hearing team, he said that it will mean he will have to fight his way through the challenges.
Bonheyo said he and others in the deaf community are not looking for sympathy.
"We're not sorry we're deaf," Bonheyo said, "so other people should move on, because we do."
If things don't work out with his aspirations for football, Bonheyo said he would like to own his own business, preferably having something to do with sports.
The most important thing about living with a disability, Bonheyo said, is not letting it pull you down.
"If you give it your all and fail, then at least you won't have to wonder what would have happened," he said.