Talented DisABLED Brazilian Skateboarder Sets Example for Other Riders

Kids and teens can't even imagine themselves disabled. They have an unshakable sense of invulnerability and immortality, because our brain's center for reasoning and impulse control may not fully develop until we're 25 years old. Kids tend to feel like nothing can hurt them and the entire world lies before them. Unfortunately, all it takes is a single accident to change a moment of excitement and thrill to a permanent disability.

Just ask Italo Romano. At the age of 13, he was jumping between trains with friends at the age of 13 and ended up losing his legs. Italo's friend and photographer, Ricardo Porva, explains, "When he was 13, he was playing with friends on a train. The boys would try to balance between carriages in the gap, and one day he fell and lost his legs."

Now 26, Italo has spent half his life without legs, and yet he managed to become one of Brazil's top extreme athletes—in skateboarding, of all sports! He may not be able to do kickflips, but YouTube videos feature him doing all manner of flips, jumps and grinds all over his hometown of Curitiba, and all without the use of legs. Using the base of a curved statue as a quarter pipe, he uses his hands to flip the board, balance for jumps, perform power slides, grinds on park benches, and rail slides down long flights of stairs.

While he can't get the kind of speed or air that able-bodied skaters can achieve, he has an advantage in manipulation of the board since he uses his hands and arms for balance and manipulation. This gives him a nearly unparalleled dexterity which, combined with a much lower center of gravity, allows him to do astounding tricks that legged skaters cannot generally accomplish. Porva says, "When I first saw Italo I was amazed and I noticed, despite his disability, he had a great style. He has a big heart and soul and is so funny, all the day smiling."

The videos have garnered hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube so far and are truly astounding as Italo proves that, just because an accident gives a person a disability, it doesn't have to cripple his life. What is perhaps most astounding is that before his accident, Italo was not a skateboarder.

He only took up skateboarding several years after the accident as a way to deal with his frustration and anger at his disability. By channeling his pent-up energy into skateboarding, Italo has been able to turn a tragic mishap into something positive. In 2012, he even reached the semifinals of the Tampa Pro professional skateboarding tournament in Florida. That's pretty impressive. So are these video, where you'll see Italo demonstrate his skills!

Sources: latino.foxnews.com/latino/lifestyle/2014/01/09/disabled-brazilian-skateboarder-draws-attention-for-styling-flips-grinds-and/ elitedaily.com/sports/italo-romano-wild-skateboard-skills-legs metro.co.uk/2011/02/24/italo-romano-still-flying-high-despite-losing-his-legs-as-a-teenager Image Sources: farang-mag.com shockmansion.com skate4life.com.br christianpost.com