Roger Crawford remembers his first javelin toss competition like it was yesterday. What he remembers most is that once the crowd noticed that he only had one finger on his right hand (and two on his left), they parted like the proverbial Red Sea did for Moses. Apparently no one wanted to volunteer as a javelin catcher.
He’ll also never forget the time he scored a crucial touchdown in a football game – but only after the player chasing him down the field tore off his artificial leg, forcing Roger to hop over the goal line.
Those are just two out of a lifetime of anecdotes world-class athlete Crawford shared with his Baltimore audience the other day. Born with a condition called ectrodactylism that left him with malformed hands and feet and his left leg amputated at age five, he reinvented himself as a powerful speaker with a message of hope for a world full of woes. Sports Illustrated has described him as “one of the most accomplished physically challenged athletes in history.” His story and advice appeared to resonate with the mostly CEO crowd in attendance at the American Visionary Art Museum on Wednesday, September 14th at a breakfast meeting sponsored by Accelerent, Baltimore’s business relationship-building group.
“In life, challenges are inevitable. Defeat is optional,” Crawford related. In 20 years as a motivational speaker, he’s had plenty of opportunities to hone his message. With one memorable line after another, he held the crowd in thrall without skipping a beat. Which one is your favorite?
On living life hopefully – “Optimism allows us to see opportunity before it becomes obvious.”
On struggling when times are tough – “In the Tour de France, uphill is where the lead changes most often.”
On a teacher’s response to him when he was shy about raising his hands in response – “Roger Crawford, you’ll never reach higher with your hands in your pockets.”
On going after the life we want – “Our lives are defined by what we choose to focus on.”
On life’s vicissitudes – “It took me 16 years to learn to tie my shoes,” Crawford revealed. “The next day, they came out with Velcro® shoe laces.”
On settling for second best – “Acceptable is the opposite of exceptional.”
On winning over your true love – “My wife and I were high school sweethearts, except she didn’t know it.”
As an Honoree of the Hall of Fame for People with Disabilities, Crawford stands in league with fellow honorees Christopher Reeve, Helen Keller and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As far as I could tell, the timing of Crawford’s message couldn’t have been better. As Crawford said, “I keep in mind what Warren Buffett has said – ‘In times like these, it’s good to remember that… there have been times like these.’”
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