Nobody Can Ever Say 'I Can't' Ever Again

A couple months ago, I happened across a breakdancing competition in my neighborhood. All the dancers were astounding, and the whole thing throbbed like a Puma advertiser's secret dream.



In between bouts of professional competition, people from the crowd were free to hit the cardboard for a bit of their own spinning. Suzanne Vega's 'Tom's Diner,' of all songs, was thudding over the system when this one lanky redheaded guy took the floor. His moves were a little off, a little jerky, but still light years beyond my ability. He slithered and spun, popped and locked, and right as the song was approaching a breakdown he went into a wicked backspin. And then, right in the middle of the break, he ripped his own leg off and pumped it to the beat. Everyone screamed, then clapped and screamed more. Then that one-legged badass jumped up, threw his prosthetic to a friend and kept going.

I'd like to see him and LazyLegz Patuelli go head-to-head sometime. LazyLegz, or Luca Patuelli, was born with arthrogryposis, a disorder that affects his bone structure and muscular growth from the waist down. He has been breakdancing since the age of 15.

Here's a link to a video of LazyLegz, courtesy of DevilDucky, which I found via Screenhead.

I've been taking a long look at myself and my peers since seeing this, and thinking that if at all possible, I would like to remove the phrase "I can't" from my vocabulary. Guys like Luca and the legless backspinner make me think that most "I can'ts" are actually "I'd rather nots," or "It's too hards."

posted by Jeff Simmermon @ 10:57 PM