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Nothing is holding back Seneca’s Noah Odum · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Nothing is holding back Seneca's Noah Odom Written by Brian Hosey.
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  Speaker 1: This article is being read by an automated voice brought
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  Speaker 1: to you by Everlett. Seneca senior Noah Odom was born
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  Speaker 1: with spina bifida, but being in a wheelchair hasn't stopped
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  Speaker 1: him from doing whatever he's wanted to do. As a freshman,
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  Speaker 1: Odom decided he was going to join the Fighting Irish
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  Speaker 1: track and field team. I actually wanted to do wheelchair raceasing,
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  Speaker 1: but I found my body type didn't work well for
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  Speaker 1: those events, Odom said. I do a lot of work
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  Speaker 1: with bands which have really helped develop the muscles I
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  Speaker 1: need for the throwing events. Those work the best for me,
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  Speaker 1: and as I kept working on throwing the shot put
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  Speaker 1: in discus, I started to really improve. It just kept
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  Speaker 1: me wanting to get better. Odam didn't qualify for the
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  Speaker 1: ISA State meet as a freshman after missing the sectional
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  Speaker 1: due to illness, but the past two seasons he's excelled.
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  Speaker 1: As a junior, he won the championships in both the
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  Speaker 1: shot put and discus, and last spring finished runner up
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  Speaker 1: in the discus and third in the shot put. By
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  Speaker 1: sophomore year, I only competed against one other athlete at state,
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  Speaker 1: but it was still very exciting to be there, Odom said.
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  Speaker 1: Then this past spring there were four other athletes, which
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  Speaker 1: was really cool. The kid that won both events doesn't
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  Speaker 1: have legs and only one arm. He beat all of
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  Speaker 1: us by a lot. Really doubled our distances in both events.
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  Speaker 1: It was truly mind boggling and very inspirational. Odom also
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  Speaker 1: has competed in events during the off season with the
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  Speaker 1: Move United organization. Move United is a national leader in
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  Speaker 1: community adaptive sports, with two hundred and fifty seven member
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  Speaker 1: organizations in forty five states. They are united by a
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  Speaker 1: single mission ensuring everyone, regardless of ability, experiences the life
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  Speaker 1: changing power of sport and is included in their community.
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  Speaker 1: For Move United. This summer, Odom earned many medals in archery,
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  Speaker 1: air rifle, shooting, shot put, discus, and javelin at the
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  Speaker 1: Dairyland Games in Verona, Wisconsin, the Great Lakes Games in
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  Speaker 1: Lake Forest, and the Hartford Nationals in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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  Speaker 1: He said discus is his favorite. I really like discus.
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  Speaker 1: It's the easiest for me and it's the first event
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  Speaker 1: I tried. Odum said, I love going to those competitions.
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  Speaker 1: For me, even in the high school events, it's not
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  Speaker 1: about finishing first or anything like that. It's about being
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  Speaker 1: around others who share the same passion. The biggest thing
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  Speaker 1: for me is seeing if I can do whatever event.
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  Speaker 1: I'm doing better each time I do it. When Odem
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  Speaker 1: isn't competing, he said he likes to create his own music,
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  Speaker 1: mainly rhythm and blues, or play video games or chess.
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  Speaker 1: He also acts and sings in the high school's musicals
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  Speaker 1: and stage plays in the fall and spring during the season.
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  Speaker 1: In the spring, I'm allowed to miss regular practices, but
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  Speaker 1: just have to make up my time in other ways.
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  Speaker 1: Odom said the plays are really fun and I enjoy
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  Speaker 1: being part of the production that goes into them. Odum
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  Speaker 1: said he hopes to pursue a career in the veterinary
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  Speaker 1: field with small animals as the focus. He cares for
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  Speaker 1: a rabbit at home and said he likes working with
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  Speaker 1: smaller animals. School Wise, it can take up to eight
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  Speaker 1: years to become a veterinarian, but I'm leaning toward going
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  Speaker 1: in that direction, Odom said, it's just something I've always
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  Speaker 1: been drawn toward. Odom's grandfather, Martin Odom said he just
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  Speaker 1: wants people to know there are opportunities like Move United
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  Speaker 1: for families to get involved in. People need to know
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  Speaker 1: there is help out there to get their kids involved
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  Speaker 1: in these opportunities. Martin Odom said, when we go to
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  Speaker 1: these events, it's like being with family. Everyone at these
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  Speaker 1: events is in different situations, but there is just a
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  Speaker 1: sense of togetherness. I'm just so happy to see Noah
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  Speaker 1: get these types of chances to not only compete, but
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  Speaker 1: also get to meet so many great people. Noah Odum
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  Speaker 1: said he's looking forward to his senior year at Seneca
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  Speaker 1: and also the chance to compete at the state meet
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  Speaker 1: in the spring. Just because I'm stuck in a wheelchair
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  Speaker 1: doesn't mean I can't do anything a normal person, can
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  Speaker 1: Odum said, I may have to do it in a
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  Speaker 1: different way, but I can always do it,