{"id":29526,"date":"2014-12-18T12:53:04","date_gmt":"2014-12-18T18:53:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=29526"},"modified":"2014-12-18T12:57:52","modified_gmt":"2014-12-18T18:57:52","slug":"rider-defensive-end-is-deaf-but-still-playing-the-game-he-loves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2014\/12\/18\/rider-defensive-end-is-deaf-but-still-playing-the-game-he-loves\/","title":{"rendered":"Rider defensive end is deaf, but still playing the game he loves"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rider defensive end is deaf, but still playing the game he loves<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jonathan Hull<\/p>\n

November 26, 2014<\/p>\n

WICHITA FALLS, Texas<\/p>\n

T.J. Woollis goes unnoticed most Friday nights.<\/p>\n

The Rider senior defensive end really only plays in the fourth quarter when a game has been decided and he\u2019s yet to register a tackle this season. He spends most of his time on the sidelines cheering on his teammates.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not like Woollis really minds his role. All things considered, he\u2019s getting to experience something many high school seniors with his disability rarely do.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was born deaf,\u201d Woollis explained. \u201cI have implants that help me hear. Without them, I can\u2019t hear anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

His disability hasn\u2019t kept him from doing what he loves, though. And it doesn\u2019t matter how much he plays. Woollis is a valued member of the Raiders.<\/p>\n

\u201cT.J. knows when to give it to you,\u201d Rider senior defensive end and team captain R.D. Wegmann said. \u201cT.J. is a grinder. He\u2019s someone that if you\u2019re slow off the ball, T.J. will let you know. He\u2019s a team player. He does everything for the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love T.J. from the bottom of my heart. I\u2019ve known him since freshman year. He\u2019s one of the smartest guys I know.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fact Woollis is even a member of the Raiders is remarkable, and it all goes back to his parents\u2019 decision to ensure their son had as normal a life as possible.<\/p>\n

Woollis was born with severe hearing loss in both ears, but the disability wasn\u2019t discovered until he was 6-years-old. His parents, Terence Woollis and Wendy Turner, noticed his speech was developing as quickly as other kids and decided to take him to an audiologist.<\/p>\n

Even during the hearing test, it wasn\u2019t clear Woollis was deaf.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey finally did a speech and hearing test and he was passing everything,\u201d Woollis\u2019 father Terence said. \u201cThe doctor would ask him to pick out the picture of the apple and he would pick the apple.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her, \u2018He\u2019s reading your lips.\u2019 She didn\u2019t think it was possible for a kid that young to read lips. I asked her to cover her mouth and ask him to pick out the apple.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woollis couldn\u2019t do it. He had gotten by through the first couple years of school by learning to read lips \u2014 an unlikely feat for a kid who is only 4- or 5- years-old.<\/p>\n

His parents made the decision to get Woollis cochlear implants, which would allow him to hear with the help of a processor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if you\u2019ve ever seen videos of kids who get hearing aids and their reaction the first time they can hear,\u201d Terence said. \u201cBeing a parent and seeing that, it\u2019s freaking amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are always warnings for parents of deaf children. Learning disabilities are often an issue and a normal high school experience is unlikely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said we can classify him as special ed,\u201d Terence said. \u201cHe\u2019s not special ed and we didn\u2019t want him classified like that. His speech is good. It\u2019s not perfect, but it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The decision to keep Woollis in the public school system set his course for Rider, and gave him a chance to play a sport he\u2019s always loved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always loved football,\u201d Woollis said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a lot of fun. I really like being a part of the team and helping my teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woollis began playing football in junior high at McNiel. His parents consulted the surgeon who had put in his implants and he did say there was a possibility a hit could jar something loose, but it was no different a risk than him tripping and falling on the ground. The surgeon also said it would be a very rare occurrence for that to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woollis naturally continued to play football when he started attending Rider. Jim Garfield was the head coach at the time and current coach Marc Bindel doesn\u2019t recall any apprehension with Woollis joining the program.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was one of those things where he wanted to play football so let\u2019s get it done and he can play,\u201d Woollis said. \u201cHis teammates have really helped him out. They help him get lined up. Being deaf is a disability, but we don\u2019t look at it like that and he doesn\u2019t feel that way. He\u2019s a teammate to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Woollis has to completely overcome his disability during games. He\u2019s not able to wear his processor under his helmet and as a result can\u2019t hear anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can read the coaches\u2019 lips,\u201d Woollis said, \u201cand I have to see the signs. The signs tell me what to do. My teammates help me, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wegmann remembers Woollis adjusting very quickly as a freshman.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just took him in,\u201d Wegmann said. \u201cWe figured out what he was saying and he figured out what we were saying. Straight meant straight, left meant left and right meant right. We kind of figured it out.<\/p>\n

\u201cSenior year now, we all know him and it\u2019s easier. He\u2019s bossing all of us around. We love having him on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

His teammates have a lot to do with Woollis sticking with the program for three years before finally reaching the varsity as a senior.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love being with my teammates,\u201d Woollis said. \u201cI\u2019ve always wanted to play football.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great,\u201d Terence added. \u201cHe loves being there to support his team. It\u2019s an amazing deal to just see him do what he loves to do. He\u2019s always like football.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coaches and players are great to him. He\u2019s a great kid just the way he is. His coaches and teammates, they\u2019re all looking out for him.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Thanksgiving afternoon, Woollis will sit down with his family around the dinner table, and like many others, he\u2019ll ponder the things he\u2019s thankful for in his life.<\/p>\n

On Friday afternoon when the Raiders face Canyon Randall in Lubbock, Woollis will be patrolling the sidelines at Lowrey Stadium, encouraging his teammates like he has most Fridays this season.<\/p>\n

If the right situation comes along, Woollis might even see a little playing time. Maybe he\u2019ll even notch his first varsity tackle.<\/p>\n

Regardless, Woollis will be enjoying something he is most thankful for in his life \u2014 being part of a team and playing a game with his friends just like any other teenage boy.<\/p>\n

SOURCE:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.timesrecordnews.com\/sports\/high-school\/rider-defensive-end-is-deaf-but-still-playing-the-game-he-loves_48135290<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rider defensive end is deaf, but still playing the game he loves Jonathan Hull November 26, 2014 WICHITA FALLS, Texas T.J. Woollis goes unnoticed most Friday nights. The Rider senior defensive end really only plays in the fourth quarter when…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[4621,22948,154,24,831,153,22947,22949,996,22946,22950,22942,22943,22944,17,22945,392],"class_list":["post-29526","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-article","tag-canyon-randall","tag-cochlear-implants","tag-deaf","tag-football","tag-hearing-aid","tag-jim-garfield","tag-lowrey-stadium","tag-lubbock","tag-mcniel","tag-r-d-wegmann","tag-rider","tag-t-j-woollis","tag-terence-woollis","tag-texas","tag-wendy-turner","tag-wichita-falls"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-7Ge","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36843,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/12\/14\/36843\/","url_meta":{"origin":29526,"position":0},"title":"Job Opportunity: Wichita Falls ISD is Looking for Deaf Ed Teacher and Paraprofessional","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"December 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Wichita Falls ISD is looking for Professionals to Fill Vacancies in our Deaf Education Program: A Teacher Certified in Deaf Education an Interpreter for the Deaf A Paraprofessional to work in the Deaf Education Program How To Apply: 1. http:\/\/www.WFISD.net 2. 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