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Steve CashAmerican Paralympic team goalkeeper
Date of Birth: 09.05.1989
Country:  USA |
Content:
Steve Cash: A Paralympic Goalkeeper
In March 2014, the whole of Russia held its breath as it watched the Russia-USA sledge hockey match during the Paralympic Games. The result of the game was a huge joy for the Russians - a 2-1 victory that became a true sports sensation. Steve Cash was the goalkeeper for the USA during this historic match, and it was thanks to the two goals he let in that the Russian Paralympic hockey players achieved what the Olympic hockey players could not.
Early Life and Diagnosis
Steven 'Steve' Cash was born in 1989 in St. Louis, Missouri. At the age of three, he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in his right knee. Soon after, Steve underwent a complex surgery that resulted in the amputation of his right leg above the knee. He spent six months in the hospital and then years adjusting to his new reality and pursuing a full life, including sports.
Challenges and Dreams
In his early years, Steve faced many challenges. He endured teasing, was unable to play with other children, and often found solace by himself, searching for answers to the question, "Why did this happen to me?" However, as time went on, his peers stopped teasing him and recognized him as a wonderful person and a great team player.
Even during his school years, Steve developed a love for hockey. His brothers played the sport, and he would spend hours watching them shoot pucks into the net. He dreamed of one day being able to join them on the ice. With the help of his mother, he practiced roller-skating in their backyard. Later, his brother introduced him to sledge hockey, and his dream slowly began to come true. Steve found his passion in this adapted version of hockey, where players sit on sleds and use special sticks to control the puck and move across the ice.
Paralympic Success
Steve's skills as a goalkeeper led him to join the Paralympic team, and a string of glorious victories awaited the American team. He was the goalkeeper when the team won a bronze medal in Turin, and he stood in the net when the US sled hockey team won the gold medal at the Vancouver Paralympics. Steve later revealed that when the American anthem played, he suddenly felt a deep connection to his team, realizing that they had become brothers.
Unfortunately, the American team was unable to repeat their triumph in Sochi. Russian Paralympians proved to be stronger, and the final score of the game was 2-1, with Russia claiming victory. Prior to the Paralympic Games in Sochi, Steve mentioned in a video interview that he planned to take a short break afterward. The intense training and competition schedule had taken its toll, and he wanted to spend some time with his family and take care of himself.
Steve's older brother, James Cash, a hockey player himself, once said about him, "Everything I went through in life seems like a speed bump compared to the mountains Steve had to climb."
