On June 10th, we kicked off our “Tell Us Your Story” contest. The contest encouraged athletes of all ages and genders to tell stories of overcoming adversity.

We received tons of great responses from BORN STRONGER fans all over the world. Ultimately a panel of BORN STRONGER team members decided on Trevor Rionson as the winner. He’ll receive a BORN STRONGER tee. Trevor’s story is below.

Hi my name is Trevor.  I was born and raised in Georgia. At age four I started wrestling for my local youth team. I placed third in the state in just my first year. Wrestling is a family tradition in my family. We’ve wrestled all the way back to my great grandfather. I continued wrestling all the way to high school, but in the eighth grade I was injured on the football field. The doctor said I had a hollow hip bone in my right hip and Perthes Disease in my left hip. That summer I had to undergo surgery for a bone marrow transplant. They inserted a big plate into my leg and put in four screws. In my left hip, they didn’t know what to do because the ball of my hip had become deformed.

Due to the injuries, I had to sit out my freshman season and could not train. It took until the summer of my freshman year before the doctor cleared me to wrestle. He said to me,
“Trevor, you realize that doing this sport is going to cause you to have hip replacement surgery later on in life.”

I said “Yes doctor, I understand the implications of my actions.”

The doctor also stated I could no longer run, which is a must for any wrestler. So this summer I began an intense weight lifting and training program in addition to my wrestling practice. When I step onto the mat my sophomore year, I don’t want be beat. Wrestling is going to be a lot harder due to the loss of movement in both my hips. I can’t move as fast and my legs are not as strong as before. But I will not quit what I love even if I have to have a replacement surgery for my hip. I believe that is what makes me BORN STRONGER.

Check out the other stories here.