My City September 2022

MYSPORTS

it happened for a reason Tracy Ramin Executive Director of The National Amputee Golf Association

BY MARK SPEZIA ® PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MIDWESTERN AMPUTEE GOLF ASSOCIATION

Every so often, a poignant moment or life milestone reminds Tracy Ramin of how fortunate he is or the reasons why he is still alive and thriving 24 years after losing part of his left leg and very nearly his life in a horrific accident. The Montrose resident was struck by a speeding pickup while attempting to retrieve a ladder that had fallen from his construction truck onto I-75. Now 50, Ramin has seen his two children, one of whom was born after the accident, grow into adulthood, held his first grandchild and refused to let having to wear a prosthetic limb prevent him from enjoying two of his favorite sports.

The 6-foot-3 Ramin, who played varsity basketball for Mount Morris High School, continued taking to the court for competitive games until about ten years ago. His greatest sporting passion, however, is golf. Ramin’s love for the game grew after first playing it with his father at age 13.They later won a league title together. Returning to the course a mere three months after leaving the hospital, Ramin began adjusting to his new normal and was playing in adaptive golf events less than two years later, gradually rising to a place among the top ten Americans in the World Rankings for Golfers with Disabilities (WR4GD).

This ignited a burning desire within him to help those with phys ical or mental disabilities to still enjoy the sport and expand compet itive opportunities for them. Thus far, the most significant result of the tireless efforts of Ramin and others was the first U.S. Adaptive Golf Open, held in July at iconic Pinehurst Golf Resort in North Carolina,the site of three U.S. Opens. From an initial pool of 300 ap plicants, Ramin was the only player among the 96 selected for the historic event asked to speak at a pre-tournament banquet. He could not help but become emotional after being introduced by United

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