It can be easy for many individuals when the chips are down to fold their tents and go home.
That said, many others will stand and fight.
Such is the case with one Mission Bay High grad, a young man who chose to make a stand when life presented him with a very serious challenge.
For Pacific Beach native Ryan Porteous, his introduction to the college world was not what any young man (or woman for that matter) would envision.
In 2011, after graduating from Mission Bay High (second in his class) and being named Male Athlete of the Year (he lettered three years on the football team), life would soon change.
Porteous was injured during a fall on a boat dock in his early days at the University of California Santa Barbara (still a student there), a spinal cord injury that led to partial paralysis. While his body changed, his mind made up of determination and accomplishing things in life did not.
Porteous persevered despite his injury, working hard enough to earn a spot this year on the U.S. Paralympics team that will compete in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The former Buccaneer will be representing his country in the SKUD 18 class sailboat two-person competition.
He and his sailing partner were recently victorious in the U.S. Sailing Paralympic Athlete Selection Series for the two-person keelboat competition.
Partnered with Massachusetts resident Maureen McKinnon (she won gold in the SKUD-18 at the 2008 Games in Beijing), Porteous is more than happy to represent the United States, noting that it was both a relief and an accomplishment to earn the right to be going to Rio 2016 this September.
Porteous, who has also represented Mission Bay Yacht Club in his sailing ventures over the years, is not one to quit.
As he mentioned online, “Though this injury has been a life-changing experience, I approach it with optimism. Being the athletic person I was before, I also knew I had to get back out there and renew my passion for sports. Sailing has been a perfect fit.”
Better yet, Porteous can be an inspiration for others who have been placed in challenging situations for one reason or another.
“Much of what we see depends largely on what we look for. Look for the good stuff, accentuate the positive and press on,” he adds.
Porteous will be doing just that come September in Rio and for many years to come.
