Kord Ready was in a hospital gown when he hopped on a tricycle and began to pedal.
“He’s got his left leg up in the air, and he’s pumping away with his right,” his father, Jim Ready, said.
At the time, Kord was 4 years old. Part of his left leg had been amputated after he suffered a broken femur in a sledding accident and complications ensued. None of it could curtail his adventurous spirit, and the memorable tricycle scene during a physical therapy session provided foreshadowing.
“I was like, ‘All right. Life’s going to be all right. We’re moving on,’” Kord’s mother, Meg Ready, said.
Kord, 17, played golf for four seasons at Archbishop Hoban High School with a prosthetic leg — and occasionally without it. He became a three-time letterwinner and graduated in May.
On Friday, Kord received the Courage Award during the Greater Akron-Canton High School Sports Awards show at the Akron Civic Theatre.
“He’s an inspiring person,” Meg Ready said. “He never gives up. He’s a hard worker all the time at everything he does. He doesn’t quit, and he doesn’t feel sorry for himself.”
Hoban coordinator of cocurriculars Matt Monter submitted Kord’s Courage Award nomination. Monter relayed an anecdote the Beacon Journal’s Michael Beaven wrote about in October in which Kord finished a round on one leg during a tournament at Portage Country Club in Akron.
Kord Ready, Courage Award winner and Archbishop Hoban High School graduate, practices at Lake Forest Country Club in Hudson. (Photo: Matthew Brown/Akron Beacon-Journal)
When Kord wears his prosthetic limb, his leg is enclosed in a hard shell, so it can become painful. Kord knew his score would count toward Hoban’s total in the aforementioned outing, so he continued to play. He estimated he can hop on one leg for five minutes before fatigue interferes.
“He has been a player who cares more about the team than individual awards,” Monter wrote in an email nominating Kord for the Courage Award. “He has been a true leader at Hoban and we can’t wait to see what he will accomplish in the future.”
Kord said he plans to study finance at Ohio University. He said he isn’t sure yet whether he’ll participate in golf at the club level, but it’s a possibility.
“He lives life. He encourages people to keep going,” Jim Ready said.
Kord Ready played sports growing up despite a sledding accident and complications leading to part of his left leg being amputated
Kord’s parents…
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