Disclaimer: This is sponsored content. All opinions and views are of Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group and does not reflect the same of KOAA.
Fountain-Fort Carson’s Owen Smalley has had the odds stacked against him since birth, but grit and inspiration has led him to success.
Owen is a freshman on the Trojan’s football team. He was born with symbrachydactyly, a rare condition that means he is missing fingers on his right hand. Despite his condition, Owen has been playing football since he was in the fourth grade.
Owen’s love for the game came from a bond that he shared with his family. He says he watched a lot of Detroit Lions games with his father and grandfather, and seeing the quarterbacks was something that inspired him to start playing.
With the Trojans, he is a starter on the defensive side of the ball and he is a backup quarterback as well.
Shaquem Griffin, an NFL linebacker, has played a huge role in inspiring Owen when it comes to the football grind. Griffin had his hand amputated at four years old, but still made it to play at the Division I level and became a third round NFL draft pick.
“He pushed himself and he helped other people. He took what he was given and pushed other people like, 'hey I’m doing this and I only have one hand,'” said Owen. “I want to be able to do that one day.”
While playing pee-wee football, Owen was not phased by his condition, but now that he has gotten to the high school level, he has quickly realized how much harder he has to work. Things such as lifting weights have presented challenges to him, but he has found ways around it because he refuses to let his condition slow him down.
“You're not disabled, you're differently abled as my mom would always say. She was like, 'take what God gave you and use it to your advantage. God didn't give it to you as a punishment, he gave it to you as a gift. He knew you were able to handle this and be bale to pursue whatever you want to pursue in your future.'”
Off the field, Owen is an A-B student and works on his family farm taking care of live stock.
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