ISU Bengal

Issue date: 1/31/07 Section: Life

Media Credit: Peeve at www.flicker.com

Ten years ago, at the age of 16, KISU's sports announcer Kade Vance learned that life can change in a split second.

While swimming with friends in Sunset Falls, Washington, Vance dove into water that he thought was deep enough. Seconds later, friends scrambled to get help for Vance, who lay motionless after diving into a rock headfirst. He had broken his neck and shattered part of his spinal cord.

Before the accident, Vance was starting varsity wide receiver in football and starting shortstop in baseball. He planned to play baseball professionally and even dreamed of winning a World Series and making it to the Baseball Hall of Fame.

"Up until that point, I was extremely active," Vance said. "My entire life was centered around sports. Everyone in my family played some sport… including my mom, who was a rodeo cowgirl."

Despite Vance's best efforts to walk again, he soon learned he would be in a wheelchair the rest of his life. "I didn't let it make me bitter and angry…. You have to take the bad with the good," he said. "I had a lot of family support."

According to Vance, his new situation helped him to see people in a new light. "I started paying attention more to people in general. I realized all people are important, all who you see and all who you don't see."

The determination he had in sports to be the best, and the drive to succeed, gave Vance the strength he needed to face the unexpected challenges ahead of him.

"My family taught me to work hard," Vance said, "so I put all my energy and hard work into becoming independent and making my life as normal as it was before the accident." "I realized I'm still me, just sitting down!"

It has been 10 years since the accident. Vance now has a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Television Production, and a Minor in Political Science. He is seeking a Masters Degree in Athletic Administration and works as a sports announcer for KISU FM 91.1.

Although Vance faces challenges as a sports announcer, his determination to be the best in whatever he does allows him to overcome his limitations.

"If you want something, you have to make it happen," Vance said. "But I also realize it's not a perfect world and I know how this business works. That's why I'm getting a Masters Degree."

Vance's accident may have forced him to give up his dream of winning the World Series, but he never gave up his love of the game or his drive to succeed.

"I want to be the first Hall of Fame broadcaster in a wheelchair," said Vance. " I want to show people what you can do… even with a disability."

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