Tom Leach's 2012 All-Resilient Team, powered by Kentucky National Guard Career Opportunities
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ANNOUNCING TOM LEACH'S ALL-RESILIENT TEAM |
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Rebakah Boone
Rebakah Boone plays softball and volleyball and is also a cheerleader at Powell County High School. In February, 2011, she suffered a stroke but by May, she was able to throw out the first pitch at one of her team's games. She is continuing her rehab and has remained a 4.0 student in the classroom.
Kevin Carrico Kevin Carrico played football at Simon Kenton High School. In February, 2011, he was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. After numerous chemotherapy and radiation treatments, he was able to return to the team and play in his senior night game. Kevin is now cancer-free and planning for college and career in medicine.
Dalton Chappell
Dalton Chappell is a wrestler for Bullitt East High School. Dalton was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome but has been able to be a varsity starter for the Bullitt East wrestling team. He won six matches last season.
C.J. DotsonC.J. Dotson has played both football and baseball at Phelps High School. He lost two-and-a-half toes in a mowing accident and was told his athletic career was over. Undaunted, he has battled back to play at a high level in both sports. And C.J. is also a member of the Beta Club and the National Honor Society.
Adam Elkins
Adam Elkins is the quarterback for the Raceland High School football team. Last fall, Adam's father, Morgan, suffered a fatal heart attack while in the stands for his son's game at Pikeville. Adam was able to be at his father's side for the final moments of his life. A week later, Adam was back on the field and led Raceland to a win over Greenup County.
Rob Hill
Rob Hill is a tennis player for Campbell County High School. As a freshman, Rob was involved in a serious motocross accident, hitting a cement wall at approximately 70 miles per hour. He suffered a partial loss of vision but has returned to play a leadership role for his tennis team and perform at a high level in the classroom.
Shavon Majors 
Shavon Majors has played basketball and performed on the track team at Burgin High School. As a freshman, she tore the ACL in her left knee. As a junior, she tore the ACL in her right knee. She came back from both injuries and this past March, became a member of the 1,000-point club for Burgin basketball.
Corey MivelazCorey Mivelaz plays basketball for The Academy for Individual Excellence. Corey was born with congenital defects to both lower legs and feet. His left leg was amputated just below the knee a few weeks after his birth. With a prostetic leg, Corey has played basketball for the Cougars since fifth grade and is an outstanding 3-point shooter.
Mohammed Musa
Mohamed Musa plays soccer for St. Francis High School. At age 11, he came to the United States from a refugee camp in Kenya, having lost his entire family to the genocide in Somalia. He spoke no English and had never attended a school. He has persevered both athletically and academically and is looking at attending college upon graduation.
Jacob Raleigh
Jacob Raleigh was part of a doubles tennis team that reached the state tournament for Letcher County Central High School. This was despite losing his left arm to a rare form of cancer, meaning Jacob had to learn to play right-handed. In his senior year, Raleigh six of his eight singles matches for his team.
Carly Jo RyanCarly Jo Ryan is a soccer player and track performer at Holy Cross High School. She was born premature and was left with impaired vision, no hearing on her right side and breathing issues. Despite these obstacles, Carly Jo has played three years of varsity soccer and has also run track.
Dominic Vancleve
Dominic Vancleve has played both football and basketball for George Rogers Clark High School. Last spring, his brother was shot and killed by an intruder who had broken into the family's home. Last fall, Dominic returned home from a football game to find that his disabled father had passed away. Dominic organized his father's funeral and then returned to his team as a starting cornerback. He was also a starter on GRC's 10th Region champion basketball team and Dominic plans to continue his education in college.
Kasi Watson
Kasi Watson plays basketball for Johnson Central High School. She was born with one kidney and within the past two years, Kasi has endured a histerectomy plus surgeries to remove her gall bladder and appendix. She postponed one of those surgeries in order to play for her team. Playing through agonizing pain, Kasi led the squad in three-point percentage and free throw percentage.
Brittany WhitsonBrittany Whitson is an academic all-state player for the volleyball and softball teams at Silver Grove High School. As a young girl, Brittany was a victim of sexual abuse. Then, in 2007, her mother passed away and Brittany moved in with her mom's sister. Through it all, Brittany's coaches say she has remained a successful student, athlete and leader.
2011 All Resilient Team
| STUDENT-ATHLETE | SCHOOL |
| Chance Anthony | Breckinridge County High School |
| Calvin Brent | Fern Creek High School |
| Josh Broyles | Boyle County High School |
| Meredith Budde | Atherton High School |
| Jacob Clark | North Oldham High School |
| Cassidy Dubree | Warren East High School |
| Josh Duckworth | Webster County High School |
| Joe Elam | Bourbon County High School |
| Caleb Ervin | Union County High School |
| Chance Gillespie | Marion County High School |
| Wes Hopkins | Nicholas County High School |
| Ryan Lloyd | Bishop Brossart High School |
| Eric May | Owensboro Catholic High School |
| Leslee Poole | Henderson County High School |
| Samantha Stallings | Sacred Heart Academy |
| Morgan Turner | Tates Creek High School |
| Heather Wheeler | St. Henry High School |
| Sarah Wheeler | St. Henry High School |
| Taylor Zuberer | duPont Manual High School |
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ALL-RESILIENT TEAM / MISSION STATEMENT
"Resiliency" is one of the foundation concepts of athletic competition at any level. And the notion of recovery from a setback, i.e. adversity, is something we all must encounter at some point in our lives. The 2010-11 Kentucky basketball team did not have any phyiscal setbacks but they did encounter numerous obstacles and coach John Calipari's squad showed amazing resiliency in reaching the Final Four. Our soldiers must embrace the need for "resiliency" in situations that sometimes might mean the difference between life and death.
Our "All-Resilient Team, powered by National Guard Career Opportunities," celebrates high school male and female student-athletes who overcome adversity on their path to success. It might be an injury, a disability, a difficult family or health circumstance--something that puts an obstacle in their path that might derail someone who is less resilient.
We are presently seeking a nominee from each Kentucky high school. The student-athlete should have competed in the 2011 calendar year. Nominees should be directed to: tomleachky@gmail.com. The deadline for making nominations is March 9, 2012.
A team of 19 young male and female student-athletes was been chosen for the first All-Resilient Team, from high schools all across the state of Kentucky. The team was honored at the Kentucky high school athletic directors' annual meeting on April 28, 2011 in Louisville and we are making plans currently to honor our next All-Resilient Team at that same event. --Tom Leach
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