Miss-Delectable
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St. James wrestler pins adversity with attitude | SCNOW
A Saint James sophomore’s passion for sports overwhelms any obstacle life has thrown at him.
Josh Waggoner works as hard as any other kid in coach Matthew Anderson’s wrestling room. The only difference between Josh and his teammates—Josh is deaf.
"It brings a little bit of a challenge to communicate with him on the mat,” Anderson said. “When we scream things out for him to do, he doesn't hear us."
Waggoner was born deaf. But that didn’t stop him from not only wrestling, but playing on the JV football team this season.
“He gets after it,” teammate Jaime Bolduc said. “It’s nice to have him on the mat. You don’t have to have ears to wrestle. You do have to have heart.”
Josh enjoys the sport of wrestling because of the contact.
“I like to play rough and that’s why wrestling is perfect for me,” Waggoner said.
Off the mat, Josh has overcome adversity as well. Josh is in foster care with James Varn and his wife. He plans on adopting Josh in the coming months.
“He’s been through so much bad, he’s ready for something good,” Varn said. “He’s had a lot of issues, but he’s a great kid. Straight ‘A’s’. There’s not a bad thing I can say about him, just a perfect kid.
Through Josh’s tough times so far in his life, he maintains a smile and a positive outlook on life.
“I was recruiting him from football to wrestling because of his tough attitude,” coach Matthew Anderson said. “There’s nothing he thinks he can’t do.”
A Saint James sophomore’s passion for sports overwhelms any obstacle life has thrown at him.
Josh Waggoner works as hard as any other kid in coach Matthew Anderson’s wrestling room. The only difference between Josh and his teammates—Josh is deaf.
"It brings a little bit of a challenge to communicate with him on the mat,” Anderson said. “When we scream things out for him to do, he doesn't hear us."
Waggoner was born deaf. But that didn’t stop him from not only wrestling, but playing on the JV football team this season.
“He gets after it,” teammate Jaime Bolduc said. “It’s nice to have him on the mat. You don’t have to have ears to wrestle. You do have to have heart.”
Josh enjoys the sport of wrestling because of the contact.
“I like to play rough and that’s why wrestling is perfect for me,” Waggoner said.
Off the mat, Josh has overcome adversity as well. Josh is in foster care with James Varn and his wife. He plans on adopting Josh in the coming months.
“He’s been through so much bad, he’s ready for something good,” Varn said. “He’s had a lot of issues, but he’s a great kid. Straight ‘A’s’. There’s not a bad thing I can say about him, just a perfect kid.
Through Josh’s tough times so far in his life, he maintains a smile and a positive outlook on life.
“I was recruiting him from football to wrestling because of his tough attitude,” coach Matthew Anderson said. “There’s nothing he thinks he can’t do.”