Boardman’s first seated athlete excels on track

By JESSICA HARDIN

jhardin@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

On Micah Beckwith’s right arm is a tattoo that reads “Tell me I can’t and I’ll show you I can.”

As Boardman High School’s first seated athlete in track and field, they are words he lives by.

Micah, who will be a junior in the fall, was paralyzed at age 11 as a result of surgery to remove a tumor on his spine.

When he started high school, Micah collaborated with his coaches to determine a routine for training for competition.

“It was a struggle in the beginning,” Micah said. His mom, Miranda Keith, added, “Google and YouTube have been lifesavers.”

He has since earned All-Ohioan status five times in two years.

Micah competes using a special three-wheeled chair. He pays a fee to rent the chair for the season from Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio but is limited in how he can use it. The one he is renting is broken.

When he received two All-Ohio honors this spring after receiving three last year, outgoing athletic director Denise Gorski asked him if having his own chair would make a difference.

“That’s how it all started,” said Gorski.

Gorski teamed up with the folks at Carmella’s and former NFL quarterback Mike Tomczak to raise money to buy Micah his own chair.

“It would make training a lot easier. I would be able to get a lot stronger on my own,” Micah said.

On July 14, Carmella’s is donating employees’ time and hosting a fundraiser. Tickets cost $25 per person and will be sold at the door. Tomczak will be a celebrity bartender.

Festivities include a DJ and a Chinese auction.

The chairs can range in price from $4,500 to $10,000. Leftover donations will fund maintenance for the chair, equipment and training camps.

Track parents and Micah’s teammates are donating desserts and working as busboys.

“They’re really inclusive,” Micah said. “They treat me like they would any other runner and keep me involved in everything.”

The family that owns

Carmella’s tries to host

fundraisers like these about once every two or three months.

“My family is very blessed,” said Laura Ahlswede Cummings, general manager of Carmella’s. “The community is so good to us. It’s always good to give back to the community that takes care of you.”