Miss-Delectable
New Member
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2004
- Messages
- 17,160
- Reaction score
- 7
Sports: H.S. Cross Country: Deaf runner’s focus goes beyond sport | wilding, deaf, wasson : Gazette.com
When Max Wilding is practicing with Wasson's boys cross country team, it's often a chore to get his attention.
The senior team captain often gets ahead of the pack of runners, and no amount of insistent yelling from his coach or teammates can make him slack his pace.
It's not that Wilding's focus is unusually keen or that he's overtly absent-minded. It's simply a matter of communication.
Wilding was born deaf. And since his school, the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, does not field a cross country team, Wilding drives across town to compete for 4A Wasson.
"He doesn't intentionally stretch it out. He's just like an antelope," said Wasson coach Wayne Rainford. "When he lets it go, you can't scream for him to come back. We try to keep somebody in front and in back of him to keep him reined in."
But that's not always easy, since Wilding won the unofficial Class A 2-mile state championship run at the Limon Invitational in spring. His best time in the 3,200 meters is 9 minutes, 32 seconds. He also placed second in the mile at 5:35.
In cross country, he usually runs a 3,1-mile course in 18:25. He hopes to improve on that time to crack the top 15 at a regional and qualify for state for the first time. But as usual, Wilding's mind is on the more distant future than this fall.
"My goal this year is to beat my best times and work my way up to competing in a triathlon," Wilding said through interpreter Walter Chard, a Wasson student whose mother, Elizabeth, is deaf.
"I run or bike in the summer to keep in shape," Wilding says, "but I need to work on my swimming."
Last year, Wasson runner Brittany Booton translated for Wilding, but she is now a freshman nursing student at Regis University in Denver. Her sister, Kayla, a Wasson junior, doesn't know sign language as well, and Chard is often busy playing soccer.
But despite the communication barrier, Rainford said Wilding is a boost to the team.
"He's outstanding - never any problem," Rainford said.
Wilding is president of his 20-member senior class, and is student body governor of all 219 students at CSDB, a K-12 school, where he organizes deaf awareness programs and this week's homecoming. He was one of 56 students at a nationwide leadership conference recently in Oregon."
Wilding is the third generation of his family born deaf. His parents - Sammy, track coach at CSDB, and his mother, Pamela, CSDB volleyball coach, met at Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf in Washington, D.C. His older brother, Dean, is hard of hearing.
Wilding's life is similar to his hearing counterparts in many ways; - texting and e-mail are easy forms of communication. He also uses a special two-way video relay system "Web cam" on his TV, and he sometimes cranks up his stereo so he can feel the vibrations.
But while other runners may hit the trail with an iPod, Wilding prefers to let his mind wander.
"I'm a big daydreamer, so I tend to think about beating my average time, but mostly about my future," he said.
The avid skier's goal is to work as a wildlife photographer for National Geographic. Wilding's deafness has helped him appreciate what he can see even more.
"Beautiful sunsets, trails and water scenes inspire me like anyone else," he says. "Not many people realize just how much beauty is out there."
When Max Wilding is practicing with Wasson's boys cross country team, it's often a chore to get his attention.
The senior team captain often gets ahead of the pack of runners, and no amount of insistent yelling from his coach or teammates can make him slack his pace.
It's not that Wilding's focus is unusually keen or that he's overtly absent-minded. It's simply a matter of communication.
Wilding was born deaf. And since his school, the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, does not field a cross country team, Wilding drives across town to compete for 4A Wasson.
"He doesn't intentionally stretch it out. He's just like an antelope," said Wasson coach Wayne Rainford. "When he lets it go, you can't scream for him to come back. We try to keep somebody in front and in back of him to keep him reined in."
But that's not always easy, since Wilding won the unofficial Class A 2-mile state championship run at the Limon Invitational in spring. His best time in the 3,200 meters is 9 minutes, 32 seconds. He also placed second in the mile at 5:35.
In cross country, he usually runs a 3,1-mile course in 18:25. He hopes to improve on that time to crack the top 15 at a regional and qualify for state for the first time. But as usual, Wilding's mind is on the more distant future than this fall.
"My goal this year is to beat my best times and work my way up to competing in a triathlon," Wilding said through interpreter Walter Chard, a Wasson student whose mother, Elizabeth, is deaf.
"I run or bike in the summer to keep in shape," Wilding says, "but I need to work on my swimming."
Last year, Wasson runner Brittany Booton translated for Wilding, but she is now a freshman nursing student at Regis University in Denver. Her sister, Kayla, a Wasson junior, doesn't know sign language as well, and Chard is often busy playing soccer.
But despite the communication barrier, Rainford said Wilding is a boost to the team.
"He's outstanding - never any problem," Rainford said.
Wilding is president of his 20-member senior class, and is student body governor of all 219 students at CSDB, a K-12 school, where he organizes deaf awareness programs and this week's homecoming. He was one of 56 students at a nationwide leadership conference recently in Oregon."
Wilding is the third generation of his family born deaf. His parents - Sammy, track coach at CSDB, and his mother, Pamela, CSDB volleyball coach, met at Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf in Washington, D.C. His older brother, Dean, is hard of hearing.
Wilding's life is similar to his hearing counterparts in many ways; - texting and e-mail are easy forms of communication. He also uses a special two-way video relay system "Web cam" on his TV, and he sometimes cranks up his stereo so he can feel the vibrations.
But while other runners may hit the trail with an iPod, Wilding prefers to let his mind wander.
"I'm a big daydreamer, so I tend to think about beating my average time, but mostly about my future," he said.
The avid skier's goal is to work as a wildlife photographer for National Geographic. Wilding's deafness has helped him appreciate what he can see even more.
"Beautiful sunsets, trails and water scenes inspire me like anyone else," he says. "Not many people realize just how much beauty is out there."