Playing sports in school is one of the most enjoyable things that many children do. For some of them, it’s all about getting together in gym class and having a little bit of fun and physical activity. Sports are not only a way for those students to enjoy burning off some calories, however, but it’s also a great teaching tool as well. As they work together for a unified goal, they learn a lot about teamwork and how they can work with each other.
One of the biggest goals for any athlete is to score an actual goal while they are playing the game. The next best thing is watching one of the teammates make a shot and score a goal. If the child has the right mindset about sportsmanship, it’s not about being selfish and winning the game, it’s about playing with a level playing field and allowing everyone to enjoy themselves while they are playing.
One of the more important times for sportsmanship to be considered is when one of the players has a disability. That is the case with a third-grade student, Austin Weaver of Belleville, West Virginia. He has cerebral palsy so his coordination and movement is more difficult than it is for others. That doesn’t mean that he allows his condition to slow him down from doing what he loves to do.
Austin has been busy playing basketball with the team on the elementary school for a number of seasons. Christina Weaver, his mother, said that the coach and the teammates support him and she now has proof in the form of a heartwarming video that the Internet loves.
It happened during a recent basketball game and fortunately, his mother was taking the video. Austin was running around with his teammates and a tall player, number 50, grabs the ball. He doesn’t go for the shot but rather, he looks for Austin and hands him the ball. He then stands behind him and tries to help him get it in the basket.
The first shot doesn’t land as expected but that doesn’t stop him from trying again. When he has the ball he looks for Austin, helps him lineup the shot and they score!
As the ball goes through the hoop, Austin starts to celebrate. They both run down the court and the Internet is absolutely in love with what this young man did for his friend. If we could give him a high-five in person, we would.
“Austin made a basket tonight!” Christina wrote when she uploaded her video to Facebook. “We’re so blessed to have so many people support him. A huge thanks to his team for always helping him and even bigger thanks to Coach Mike for EVERYTHING he’s done for Austin.”
Many people online are loving what they saw when they watch the video. It’s nice to watch nine-year-old children working with each other to help for the greater good. We don’t know who number 50 is but he is a great example and we could all learn by what he did.
You can watch Austin score his goal in this video: