Utahn grappling for Olympic chance

WOODS CROSS — Wrestler Ben Kjar (rhymes with care) knows making it to the Olympics next summer in London will not be a cakewalk. Every time he turns around, there will be a new hold to maneuver out of, a grip to loosen, a takedown to avoid.

And that's before he ever gets on the mat.

Like thousands of amateur athletes dreaming of competing in the Olympics, Ben knows that being talented isn't enough; you also have to be able to afford it. Entering the kinds of international competitions necessary to get you ready for the ultimate international competition involves a certain amount of money, and unless you refer to Bill Gates as "Dad," that can present fundraising challenges.

So Ben has come up with a plan.

If you will help his cause, he will help your cause.

By telling his story.

For varying price levels (there's a gold package, a silver package, and so forth), Ben will show up at your place of business, or your school, and give a clinic and inspirational speech that explains how he became one of America's top wrestlers.

It's a story you have to see to believe.

Because Ben's story starts with his face.

He was born with Crouzon syndrome, a genetic disorder that retards or stops the growth of some of the bones in the skull, resulting in facial deformities and other serious complications. He had his first corrective surgery when he was 9 months old and another at age 5.

Doctors advised Ben's parents, Stana and Scott, that their middle child (Ben is No. 4 in a lineup of seven kids) would have physical limitations all his life. Among other things, contact sports would be taboo.

All was more or less fine until Ben turned 11 and all the other kids started playing organized football – and he wanted to join them.

He begged. He pleaded. He threw a fit.

Stana and Scott held firm. Absolutely not.

He begged, pleaded and threw more fits.

Finally, one day, his parents stopped, took a long, hard look at the absolutely distraught boy standing in front of them, and said, "OK."

But if he was going to play, he would play like everyone else. There would be no special helmets or equipment. No limitations.

Lo and behold, he survived football.