The 'Pursuit of Normalcy'

In many ways, Kyle Maynard is a typical 18-year-old. The Collins Hill High School, (in Suwanee, Georgia) senior is graduating at the end of May and plans to go to the University of Georgia in the fall. Kyle has a 3.7 G.P.A, can bench 430 lbs. and wrestles as one of the top high school wrestlers in Georgia. He was recently honored by the Georgia State Wrestling Hall of Fame as well as the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Oklahoma. In other ways, Kyle is not so typical. He was born with congenital amputation, a disorder which has left him with arms that end at the elbow, legs that end at the knee and small feet which are turned at abnormal angles. Although his condition's cause is unknown, Kyle says it was "God's will." He talks to us about how his faith has helped him keep a positive outlook on life.

What things have you learned to do and what things can you still not do?
I can pretty much learn to do just about anything. My house is completely normal without any adaptations. I don't use a wheelchair inside at all. I pretty much had to learn to do everything normally. Some things are still pretty tough though, like opening Coke cans.

You've grown up playing a lot of sports.
I grew up playing street hockey, baseball, and basketball everyday. And I grew up wrestling around with my friends. I played football (defensive line) for three years in middle school. I like to swim a lot, too. I like to run in my free time. Bear crawls, stuff like that.

I've heard that as you were growing up, your dad wanted you to learn to do all the normal things other kids do.
Right. He's always like that. He's the one who always said, "If he doesn't learn to eat on his own, he's going to starve" and "If he doesn't learn to swim on his own, he's going to drown." He's actually not that bad. I give him a hard time. He's kind of a militaristic figure. He was with the military police.

Do you ever feel pressured by your family or friends to do things on your own?
I just feel the pressure to be normal, really. My whole life's been a pursuit of normalcy is what I like to call it. I mean pressure from myself more than anything else. Nobody else is going to pressure me to do something. If you're going to do something, you're going to do it for your own reasons, not because somebody else is forcing you.

When you decided to try out for your high school wrestling team were the coach and team members supportive?
Well, by then they were. But when I was on the middle-school level, that was really the trial and tribulation that I had to get beyond to go on to wrestling in high school. I never had to go without a spot on the high school team. I was always either starting JV or varsity. [In middle school] I lost my first 40 matches or so. It was my coach [Cliff Ramos] who helped me with the moves and the repertoire that I needed to go out there and win matches.

Do you think wrestling is spiritual?
I think so. Definitely. Our team is very religious. You've got to pray for the safety of your teammates and your opponents. It's just such a rough sport that you've got to have that blanket.

What's your religious background?
My whole family is pretty much Southern Baptist. That's just a huge, huge crutch for me. It's a big part of my life and I thank God [because] everything that I've been able to go on and do is all because of Him.

Do you ever get angry at God?
Not angry in a sense, but more curious. I was going through a rough time when I was losing the first 40 matches [in middle school]. I was really wondering if what I was putting myself through was right for me. I just kept with it and I turned out right in the end. Wrestling is one of the only sports in high school or middle school, where you could get your butt kicked and that's how you lose. It's not losing because the running back dropped the ball or because the point guard missed a shot. It's because you got your pride handed to you on a platter by somebody else. It's a huge emotional toll.

Continued on page 2: »