Adversity with a smile is always the approach taken by Pennridge's Stayer
When asked the question, veteran Pennridge boys' volleyball head coach Dave Childs didn't hesitate.
"I sure do," said Childs, when queried if any of his Rams had a good story to tell. "That's Gavin Stayer. His is unbelievable."
Go on.
"He had major surgery on his (right) leg in eighth grade, I cut him from the team when he tried out as a freshman," Childs said.
"But he came back the next year and made the team. But right before tryouts that year, his father passed away. And through everything, he's kept a smile on his face and his teammates love him. I've coached a lot of kids over the years, but he's right up there as one of my favorites."
The surgery
Stayer, a senior, was born with his right leg four inches shorter than his left, making walking, let alone playing volleyball, a difficult task.
"After I had the surgery, where they had a kind of brace with screws that we had to turn to promote the bone growth in my lower leg, I had to pretty much relearn how to walk," Stayer said.
"It really hurt, but I tried my best to not let it bother me. It took a while and I knew I wanted to play volleyball, but I got cut when I was in ninth grade.
"But that only made me work harder. I wanted to show that I could come back and make the team and that drove me and gave me a lot of motivation. I wanted to prove to Dave that I could make the team."
Tough to be a Ram
Making Pennridge's volleyball roster is not an easy thing.
Consider, over the last 14 seasons, the Rams have made the PIAA District One Class 3A title game 10 times, winning six championships. Their most recent run to the district final came Thursday where they lost to Upper Dublin in a riveting five sets.
In other words, Pennridge is always good in volleyball and Childs, almost inarguably, has built the school's best program.
That was another obstacle for Stayer and another he cleared.
Check it out: Who were top athletes of 2000s at Bucks County schools? Here are Central Bucks West boys
Making the team
"How many short, skinny kids do you see that can jump through the roof on one leg?" Childs asked. "That's Gavin.
"How he does it? I don't know. Just a lot of determination. If you look at his legs, the left one is so much bigger than his right, but he doesn't let it bother him.
"He earned his spot, started for us on JV as a sophomore and has worked his way into the varsity rotation and become a very valuable player for us. He's just a kid who is always smiling and one that wasn't going to let anything get in his way."
Hard work paid off
Just the look on Stayer's face, even after the heartbreaking district final loss to the Cardinals, tells you how much being a part of the team means to him. And the season is not over. Pennridge still has qualified for the PIAA tournament, which begins on June 6.
"Right before tryouts my sophomore year, my dad passed away and that was really hard," Stayer said. "But I knew I had to try and keep working to make my leg stronger and try and be a part of the team.
"There's always a lot of pain in my leg, and you kind of get used to it, but it's all worth it. I love volleyball and the guys on the team have been great.
"And we're young. I'll be graduating, but the guys coming up are really good and they're going to keep doing great. I'm just so happy that I've had a chance to be a part of it."
Take a look: Postseason Superstars! Check out the best performances from the first week of spring playoffs
Drew Markol: dmarkol@theintell.com; @dmarkol
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Pennridge's Stayer puts setbacks behind him and keeps looking ahead
