DJ Gregory – An Inspirational Feat, One Tough Step at a Time
By inspiredKiD
DJ Gregory was a man with a goal. It was a big goal related to his chosen sport of golf. His goal was that in the 2008 PGA Tour, he would walk every hole of every round of every tournament. This was something very few golfers did. But for DJ, it was an even bigger goal, because he has cerebral palsy. When DJ was born, doctors told his parents that he would never walk. But his parents refused to accept that. They helped him learn to walk using only a cane. And in 2008, he wanted to walk a long way in a short time – 988 miles in less than a year!
In the first tournament of the 2008 PGA Tour, DJ never fell once. Tournaments after that were harder. DJ fell many times and had blisters on his feet. But he didn’t give up. He walked straight through to his last tournament. By the time he finished, DJ had inspired his fellow golfers, his sport and the rest of the world! This video is about DJ and his walk.
Additional Resources:
- Here is a charitable website DJ has started to help various children’s charities.
- Here is an interview the Golf Channel did with DJ.
Topics for Discussion:
- What qualities did DJ have that helped him meet his goal?
- DJ fell along the way to meeting his goal, but he got up every time. What can you learn from his perseverance?
- DJ set a big goal for himself and met it, literally one step at a time. What one step can you take today to start toward your goals?
Take Action:
- Get to know a disabled person in your community and appreciate their struggles of their disability.
- Check out the Get Kids Going website to help disabled kids be able to play sports.
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.
