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Carter’s run to continue at Mount St. Joseph

Sunday, 29 June 2008

By JEFF GILLILAND

Brown News Service

HILLSBORO — Dustin Carter says his announcement this week to wrestle at the College of Mount St. Joseph is just another rung on the ladder to his ultimate goal.

Hillsboro senior Dustin Carter gets a standing ovation from the large crowd at thes tate wrestling tournament in Columbus earlier this year.

“My dream job is to be a teacher and coach wrestling at Hillsboro High School,” Carter said Thursday. “I want to keep wrestling in my life until I die, and hopefully through coaching, I can make a difference in someone’s life like wrestling has in mine.”

Carter, the 2008 HHS graduate who lost most of his arms and legs to a rare blood disease when he was 5, has been busy since his inspiring run this winter to the state wrestling championships. While living with the family of one of his wrestling coaches, Brian Williamson, this spring, a group of South Koreans spent 15 days at the Williamson home filming a documentary on Carter.

“In South Korea,” Williamson said, “they take people like Dustin and send them to an institution and they’re never seen again because they don’t think they can handle the real world.”

The one-hour, commercial-free documentary aired June 21 in South Korea, Williamson said, in an effort to change the country’s view of handicapped people. Groups from Great Britain and Germany have made similar requests.

In May, Carter earned $20,000 for a speech he gave to a coaching group at the Great Wolf Lodge at Kings Island. He’s wrestled in all-star tournaments, made other motivational speeches, and on June 30, flies to Los Angeles to tape an appearance on the Fox networks “Best Damn Sports Show.”

Not long ago, Williamson said a man in the U.S. Air Force called and said he had a son just like Dustin who was ready to give up on life. Then the boy heard Dustin’s story and it turned his life around. Williamson said there are countless similar stories.

Hillsboro head wrestling coach Nathan Horne said Carter defined the HHS wrestling program the last four years.

“You can’t watch him and not learn some life lesson,” Horne said. “He’s the ultimate story of determination and perseverance.”

So, what does an 18-year-old who only decided to participate in sports five years ago think about all the attention?

“I was just a kid who wanted to go to state like anyone else,” Carter said. “I like the fact that there are kids out there that my story inspired to be in sports and maybe it will change their life like it did mine.”

There are times though, Williamson said, when Carter doesn’t realize just how inspiring his story is — and still can be.

“One day I sat down with him and said ‘I always wondered why God would allow them to take your arms and legs when you were only 5,’” Williamson said. “‘It’s because you’re changing people’s lives just by what you’ve done.’ (Carter) said, ‘You know, in a couple of years, everyone is going to forget me.’ I said ‘The only way they will is if you let them.’”

So, Carter opened a new chapter in his saga Wednesday when he announced he will wrestle at Mount St. Joe, selecting the Cincinnati are college over Wilmington College.

Carter compiled a 40-4 record his senior season at HHS wrestling at 103 pounds, the lowest high school weight classification.

At Mount St. Joe, he’ll have to bump up to 125 pounds, the lowest college weight class. That shouldn’t be a problem. In fact, until a recent shoulder injury that forced him to quit working out for a couple of weeks, Carter said he had bulked up to 126. He said he’s now at 123.

Carter said his college goal academically is to earn a degree in education so he can teach at Hillsboro, with the added advantage of coaching. And on the wrestling mat?

“I want to be an All-American and learn and take in as much as I can to use later as a coach,” Carter said.

Since graduating from high school, Carter has moved back in with family members in the Dayton area. He has been working summer wrestling camps with his girlfriend’s father and some other camps at Mount St. Joe.

On Thursday, Carter said he wanted to thank the Hillsboro community for changing his life. He promised to return. Williamson said you better believe him.

“He’s the kind of person when he sets his mind to it, he can do it,” Williamson said. “Don’t be fooled by the no arms and no legs.”