One handed pole vaulter

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http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 89111.html

Plum sophomore finds his own way

By Paul Kogut
FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, January 18, 2007

Plum sophomore Cory Bonura was born with only a thumb on his left hand, which hasn't stopped him from becoming one of the top wrestlers in Allegheny County.
Bonura has earned the No. 2 seed in the 125-pound weight class heading into the Allegheny County championships Friday and Saturday at Fox Chapel Area High School.

"Even if I can't do a move too well, I find another way to do it," Bonura said.

Bonura, who is seeded behind Brashear's Joshua Perri in the 32-man bracket, has rolled to a 19-2 record with 10 pins.

"We really don't make any special adjustments for him in practice," Plum assistant wrestling coach Dan Casarcia said. "Even if we're lifting weights, he does it his own way. He modifies on his own."
Bonura, who has had a small pointer finger constructed on his hand from bones in his foot, knows his appearance might catch some opponents off guard, but he talks openly about his left hand. He said being born that way has made it easier to learn to adjust.

Perhaps for that reason, Bonura isn't afraid to try new things, even sports that others might consider dangerous. Bonura was a pole vaulter for the Plum varsity track and field team last season.

A vaulter often is upside down 10 or more feet above the ground, and serious accidents are not uncommon.

"When I told my parents I wanted to pole vault, they thought I was crazy," Bonura said.

His mother, Marie Bonura, remembers that day.

"I went to the coach," Marie Bonura said. "I've never held Cory back from anything, but pole vaulting ..."

Eventually, Bonura's parents decided to let him try it.

Bonura has dabbled in other sports throughout his life. He was an outfielder in youth baseball and a wide receiver for the ninth-grade football team. He said he's probably finished with football, because 5-foot-4, 125-pound varsity football players tend to take a beating.

Wrestling is his main sport now, and he hopes to compete in college.