Football Camp for Amputee?

January 26, 2013 1:59 PM

My sister would like to send my nephew to a football camp that will specifically aid him with developing his game with his new prosthetic. You can read more about my nephew here: Former question about Koni. I've found some amputee camps, but they either focus on soccer, or various outdoor activities, not specifically football. Koni's fundraisers were very successful, and he will have the funds for travel, etc. if needed, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Sincere thanks, Jayed
posted by Jayed to Health & Fitness (2 answers total)

I'm not finding any camps specific to American football (you are correct that the search results are full of what we call soccer on this side of the pond).

However, I found an interesting article about a highschool football player, Jacob Rainey. Jacob's story sounds very similar situation to your nephew Koni's situation. His amputation was also the result of a bad injury that couldn't heal. The article is from 2011, upon returning to high school football. They touch on some of the concerns (breakdown of the pocket that holds the prosthetic for example).
After being offered (and accepting) a position on UVA's football team this year, Rainey is in the news again :) He is a preferred walk on, which means there is no scholarship but he has a guaranteed spot on the team roster.

The Richmond Times Dispatch published a Jan 6, 2013 article about UVA Cavaliers offering Jacob a spot on the team. That article mentioned that he probably won't be competing in games.

Jan 27, 2013Cavalier Insider printed an article celebrating Rainey's acceptance as a "preferred walk on" for UVA college football team. Sports Grid has a January 2013 article on Rainey's comeback.

His twitter might be interesting/useful for your nephew. Perhaps he would be willing to give pointers and encouragement. https://twitter.com/Jrainey_9
posted by Librarygeek at 10:32 PM on January 26, 2013

Hey, Jayed, if your sister hasn't found a specific place yet, I would rather suggest finding a good football camp for regular players where the staff is interested and psyched to work with your nephew. I say this as a 35-year-old congenital amputee, brought up in a place and era where there was no such thing as a special camp for any sport. So she should also look at local places with cool people there. He doesn't want to play only against amputees, anyway. Good luck!
posted by skbw at 4:52 PM on March 23, 2013