Conner and Cayden Long – Inspirational Brothers and Sportskids of the Year

Conner Long is nine years old and his little brother Cayden is seven. They are from White House, Tennessee and both love sports.  However, only one of them can participate in sports.  The difference is that Cayden has cerebral palsy and is unable to walk or talk on his own.

As a good big brother, Conner was looking for a way to help his younger sibling to get involved in sports with him so that he could feel the thrill of participation,  such as running a race or catching a touchdown.  Connor had an idea for a sport they could both participate in – triathlons!  Since a triathlon is actually 3 sports (swimming, biking and running) in one event, Cayden could experience involvement in many different sports!

So how do these brothers do this?  Conner swims while pulling Cayden in a raft, then he tows him in a trailer on his bike, and lastly he pushes the same trailer when they run.  This is very similar to the way Team Hoyt, an incredibly inspiring father and son triathlon team who we’ve covered in this past, does things.

Over the past two years, Cayden and Conner have traveled along the East Cost to compete in races. In doing so, they’ve inspired people around the world.  In fact, their incredible partnership made them the 2012 Sports Illustrated Kids SportsKids of the Year!

Watch this video to learn more about their incredible story.

Additional Resources:

• Read more about their incredible story here at SI for Kids
• Learn more about cerebral palsy here at CP Parent
• Read other inspiring stories and watch videos of other children with special needs that we’ve featured on InspireMyKids here

Topics for Discussion:

• What qualities does Connor have that have inspired him to involve his brother in this way?
• What is a role model?  Do you think Connor is a role model?
• Do you have a sibling?  How much do you help each other?  How could you do better at this?

Take Action:

• Participate in World Cerebral Palsy Day to help make a difference for children with CP
• Help raise funds for CP like these teens did for the Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation
• Do you know a child in your community who has CP or another special need?  Think about something you could be doing to help them.  For example,  you could start a buddy system at school.  Here is a great list of ways to help a child with special needs

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.