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SEMINOLE, Fla. — Seminole High School JV volleyball player Shaleigh Hirtzel is working on her dream of playing at the collegiate level.
She is also an inspiration not only for her moves on the court, but also for the drive and determination it took for her to get there.
Shaleigh gets a lot of attention when playing.
For one thing, she is quite vocal, pushing her teammates to do their best in every play.
In turn, her teammates love her.
But really, it is the way she plays and that is with a prosthetic.
“Obviously, every time you try something new, it’s going to be hard,” Shaleigh said. “And I’ve never had a forearm before, and this is basically acting like that.”
As Shaleigh explained, she was born with a limb difference.
How she is similar to other young athletes is in the desire to be the best.
Her coach at Seminole High said it is her attitude on and off the court that has resulted in great improvements in her game.
“I love her determination to get better,” said coach Chad Mowrey. “She wants to improve every aspect of her game regardless of if it’s a difficult task or an easy task.”
More specifically, it is her positivity.
Shaleigh is a 10th-grader, and she has only been playing for about three years.
“And I think that shows everybody else, if she can do it, so can others,” said coach Mowrey.
She is serving up a lesson in confidence to kids facing adversities.
“Kids that are like me, I want to be able to inspire them,” Shaleigh said. “And show them, even though you’re different, you can still do it.”
She also has a message for others.
“Then, also help the kids out who don’t have a limb difference understand it better,” she said.
No matter the challenge, she is overcoming it and having fun while doing it.
Shaleigh has big plans and aspirations.
She would like to get the attention of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers.
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Roy De Jesus
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