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Keene teenager sharpens skills with help of Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team

Keene Sentinel - 6/15/2018

June 15--MANCHESTER -- A Keene teenager will step up to the plate Saturday at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

Nicholas Cusack, a lifelong sports lover and Keene Middle School student, has been training all week at a kids camp hosted by the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team.

The group -- which is not affiliated with the Wounded Warrior Project -- is a charity organization made up of military veterans and active-duty service members who have suffered severe injuries resulting in amputation. They play able-bodied teams in exhibition games throughout the country.

Since 2013, the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team has hosted an annual camp for boys and girls, ages 8 to 13, who are missing a limb or have undergone an amputation. The organization pays all expenses for the child and one parent, including travel, meals and lodging.

This week marks the first time the camp has come to New Hampshire. Twenty children from all over the country have descended on the campus of Southern New Hampshire University, running through a gauntlet of daily softball clinics.

Nicholas, 13, has proximal femoral focal deficiency, a rare and complex birth disorder that causes shortened limbs. Born in Russia, he was adopted by Chris and Nicole Cusack of Keene when he was 18 months old.

Nicholas has braved multiple surgeries over the years and eventually had his right leg amputated at the hip. Today he wears a prosthesis. And while that might seem like a hindrance to running the bases, Nicholas hasn't let it slow him down. He said the camp is an opportunity to work on his speed, among other aspects of the game.

"I'm trying to get faster, and I'm working on my batting," Nicholas said.

Nicholas is a natural righty at bat, using his right arm for power and his shortened left arm as a guide. He said he's using the camp as an opportunity to practice as a switch-hitter, noting that he can generate more force with a left-handed swing.

On Saturday, Nicholas and the other campers will have an opportunity to showcase their skills on a grand stage. The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team Double Header is set to begin at 2 p.m. at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

The first game will feature all 20 campers, squaring off in two teams of 10. Each team will have a chance to run through their line-up twice, providing every camper with a couple opportunities to swing for the fences.

At 4 p.m. the adults will take the field, as the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team plays nine innings against opponents led by Greg LaRocca, a Manchester native who spent three years in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and the Cleveland Indians. LaRocca will be joined by members of the N.H. Air National Guard and U.S.A. Softball of New Hampshire, among others.

Chris Cusack, a geography professor at Keene State College, said Nicholas' enthusiasm has been off the charts all week.

"To come here and be around other kids is just inspiring for him and everyone else here," Chris said. "It's good for them, and it's rewarding as a parent to see that."

Nicholas plays multiple sports, including flag football. Basketball is his favorite, he said, but baseball ranks a close second. He plays in the Keene Cal Ripken League, most recently for the Carlson State Farm Reds. Taking a short break from practice to talk over the phone Wednesday, he said he was having a blast.

"I'm loving it," Nicholas said. "It's really fun."

Norman Harrison of Merrimack is a local organizer for the camp. He said he got involved after seeing the Wounded Warrior Softball Team on ESPN several years ago.

"Life without a limb is limitless," Harrison said. "That's their motto, and that's what they're trying to relate to these kids. They come here, and they see adults with amputations, and they see other kids with amputations. They realize they're not alone."

Harrison, a volunteer, has a son who is a quadriplegic.

"When he was growing up, there was nothing like that for him to see and use as a goal," Harrison said. "This is a chance to show people that there is life after they lose a limb. That's what the camp is really all about."

The campers have maintained a rigorous schedule all week, waking up at 7 a.m. so they can practice from 9 a.m. to noon. They've taken turns in the batting cages and rotated through stations that cover everything from catching fly balls to running the bases.

"The main goal is to get these kids to realize they can play softball," Harrison said. "They're really creating a team atmosphere for themselves."

The campers have also had a chance to relax their muscles at the hotel pool after practice and participate in a busy afternoon itinerary that has included a trip to Mel's Funway Park in Litchfield, as well as a Duck Tour in Boston.

"I've made a lot of nice friends," Nicholas said. "We're all just one big team."

Tickets for the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team Double Header are $7 per person and can be purchased either online or over the phone at 641-2005. They are also available at the Fisher Cats ticket office in Manchester.

William Holt can be reached at 352-1234 extension 1435, or wholt@keenesentinel.com.

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(c)2018 The Keene Sentinel (Keene, N.H.)

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