Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 135 No. 1 Fall 2013 | Page 9

Ryan Kelly, a 1998 WSD graduate, described what it was like as a track and eld athlete participating in the 2005 Dea ympics in Melbourne, Australia. He described intimidation tactics used by athletes from other countries. Developing con dence and belief in oneself was something Ryan had to learn along the way. Ryan fascinated the crowd with his demonstration of how to swing the ‘hammer,’ a heavy metal ball, around and around using a large swinging motion of arms, shoulders and hips. The young elementary students are still trying to copy his movements. It’s great fun to watch. On Wednesday, Charles Hammack, also a 1985 graduate of the Illinois School for the Deaf, shared his Dea ympics experiences as a wrestler. At the high school level, Charles was a wrestling state champion. Mr. Hammack began his Dea ympics career in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. He also participated in 1989 in the Christland, New Zealand Games, in the 1993 So a, Bulgaria Games and at the 1997 Copenhagen, Denmark Games. He won two gold Dea ympic medals, one in freestyle wrestling and one in Greco-Roman wrestling; competing in two disciplines in wrestling is an astonishing feat! To be golden in both is record breaking. Students of all ages were fascinated by Charles’s Dea ympic lm featuring himself winning a wrestling match. He brought a framed case, which displays his numerous medals. Today, Charles looks like he could still take down just about any one. On Thursday, WSD students were treated Ѽ