It
was Tom Rigby's big moment to shine.
He
was a sophomore at Red Bank Regional, making one of his first starts at linebacker
against Pinelands, and the fate of the game came down to the Wildcats' final drive.
On third
and 8 for Pinelands, defensive coordinator Brad Olsen called for a blitz -- Base
Bandit Right.
As
Rigby jogged out of the huddle, he kept repeating to himself, "Right, right, right."
He took
his stance and started creeping up to the line of scrimmage.
When
the ball was snapped, Rigby took off "like a bat out of hell."
He
squeezed through a hole, came around the side and sacked the quarterback to end
the threat and preserve Red Bank's 14-0 win. Rigby went nuts, celebrating the
whole way back to the sidelines.
When
he got there he grabbed Olsen and Olsen hugged him back.
But
after the embrace Olsen said: "Tom, that was great. But what did you do wrong?"
Rigby
looked down and saw the "L" shape made by his own index finger and thumb on his
left hand.
"Oh
my god," Rigby said. "I went the wrong way."
"I
ran the blitz and it was supposed to be Shannon Rice (on the right)," Olsen recalled
earlier this week.
"I
saw Shannon go and then I saw Tom go from the other side.
I
was just like, 'Oh my God, now the flats are open.' (The play) looked good from
the fans' perspective and it worked, but he screwed it up."
Right
and left. It's a simple concept that most children grasp.
But
for someone like Tom Rigby, who suffers from dyslexia, nothing has ever been that
easy.
The
diagnosis Rigby was diagnosed with dyslexia in the first grade.
"I
wrote in mirror writing and upside down. It was a mess," said Rigby, now a senior
captain of the Red Bank football team that is battling for its first sectional
title in 28 years on Monday.
"At
one point I thought I was just stupid when I was younger, from first to third
grade.
It's
hard because at that age kids are making leaps and bounds in terms of what they're
learning and I was still trying to read."
Rigby
was far from stupid. In fact, his IQ was well above average.
But
he suffered from dyslexia, a learning disability that causes difficulties in learning
to read, write and spell.
It
can also affect mathematical ability, short-term memory, concentration, sequencing
and personal organization, according to the Dyslexia Institute.
"A
lot of kids with learning disabilities feel lost and think they're stupid," Rigby
said.
"They
start getting into trouble." Instead, Rigby got help.
Once
classified as dyslexic, he began taking additional classes with the special education
teachers and gradually discovered which learning techniques made the most sense
to him. In middle school, he began to find his way.
"In sixth grade, I really came into my own as an athlete and was active in student
council, and that's when I really started to do well in the classroom," Rigby
said.
"I
started getting more confident from sports and then that trickled into the classroom.
People
saw me as a successful athlete and I wanted that to be portrayed in the classroom
as well."
While
Rigby received good grades, he was given extra time to take tests and took supplementary
classes in order to keep up with the rest of his class.
But
Rigby didn't want to be different, so he set a goal for himself -- to take all
mainstream classes by the time he reached high school.
"I
was terrified my freshman year, taking all mainstream classes," Rigby said.
"But
I took it on like a challenge, like it was a football game. I devoted all my time
to learning, in school and out of school."
Well,
not all of his time. He also found time to compete on the varsity football team,
the only freshman promoted to that level besides linebacker Bo Olsen.
Even
on the field he had to work through his dyslexia occasionally, especially when
it came to running right or left.
"We
haven't had any problems (with his dyslexia) since his sophomore year," Red Bank
coach Harry Chebookjian said.
"I've
seen him mature through his learning disability.
There
are a lot of kids who want to be classified, who wanted the special treatment.
Tom never
wanted that. He wanted to work hard to get rid of it, and he did."
Rigby
takes all mainstream classes at the college prep level now.
He
is an honor roll student with an A/B average.
Since
freshman year, he has taken the same amount of time to take tests as everyone
else and this year he even gave up his resource room study hall -- a study hall
where classified students can receive extra help.
"I
taught myself how to learn in my own way and the dyslexia started to work itself
out," Rigby said.
"The key to being dyslexic is compensating, finding new ways to do the same job
and getting it done right.
It's
all about finding your niche. That will pretty much lead to anybody's success,
whether you have a learning disability or not."
Rigby
is such a success story that he has been asked to speak by several groups.
He
spoke at the Red Bank Charter School earlier this year and was a keynote speaker
at a symposium at Monmouth University last year, where he strongly recommended
children with learning disabilities advocate for themselves.
"A lot of kids are shy or embarrassed about learning disabilities, but Tom realizes
it has nothing to do with his intelligence," said Brad Olsen, who is a special
education teacher at Red Bank and invited Rigby to the Monmouth conference.
"I think that it's good for kids who are frustrated to hear a good story from
a kid with a learning disability because there's a lot of negative stories," Rigby
said.
"I'd be doing an injustice to myself not letting kids know that it is OK and you're
not limited.
"I've
been labeled by teachers who don't know me personally as stupid or lazy.
So
ever since I've been little I've been telling teachers they can read my (individual
education program).
They
have it, but some teachers overlook it. Teachers have so many students that it's
not their fault.
It's
easy to overlook. (Dyslexic students) look just like any other student."
Rigby
doesn't bother showing teachers his IEP now. He doesn't need to.
"I didn't even know he was dyslexic," Bucs assistant coach Warren Towns said.
Rigby asked Towns for extra help in math last year, even though Towns was not
his teacher.
"He's a tremendously hard worker, and if he doesn't get something he'll admit
it and he'll work until he understands it," Towns said.
"But
I definitely didn't get the impression he was dyslexic.
Last
year when he came to see me there was no visible sign of the condition."
"I've
taken a lot of lessons from the field into the classroom," Rigby said.
"Beating
dyslexia is like being a Red Bank football player. You're consistently the underdog
on the football field and no matter what, you're going to be faced with adversity
that you have to overcome.
"Nothing
really came easy for me, but I think I'm a better person for all that work."
By
Jen Brown.
Dec
2003.
Original
story.
With
many thanks to the excellent Asbury
Park Press.
