I was like how am I going to know what to do with the ball because I can't hear people telling me what to do. "I had never played with my hearing off," Hunter said with some laughter. All players must be completely deaf during play. One of the requirements while playing with the deaf team is that there are no hearing devices allowed. I was like, 'Oh my goodness this is kind of intimidating,' because I was the young one. "When I joined the team, I was the youngest player. The USWDNT is coached by former University of Washington head coach Amy Griffin and former US Women's National Team star, Joy Fawcett. When she was 13, she was invited to play for the United States Women's Deaf National Team. Hunter's soccer career was already well established before signing on with Colorado. Sometimes we have to do a little game of telephone and we pass down the message from player to player." "Another challenge I face is not being able to hear the coaches yell from across the field. "We solved that problem by wearing headgear that protects my head and keeps my hearing on," Hunter noted. But like with any obstacle that she's faced, she's found a solution. The implants still offer some challenges on the pitch, especially when contesting for headers or when she's playing on the far sideline across from her bench. I started playing competitively at 10 years old and ever since then it's been a great journey." "I think I was seven when I started playing again," Hunter said. She tried gymnastics and cheerleading, but her hearing aid would keep falling off, and decided to give soccer a second chance. Soccer came into Holly's life at the age of four, trying to follow in the steps of her older sister, Randalyn, but she didn't stick with it at first. "I have no idea what a normal hearing person hears like," Hunter explained. Hunter went into speech therapy after her first implant and continued through kindergarten. She got her first cochlear implant in her left ear at 15 months old and then followed with the right side at 35 months old. It was almost devastating news because they didn't know how to handle it."īut thanks to a team of doctors and audiologists, Hunter has never known a world without sound. No one knew of a deaf person, so it was a shock. "They had never known another deaf person. "It came as a shock to my parents that I was deaf," Hunter added. Holly is the first person in her family to have any hearing impairment. For the Hunter family, it came as a surprise. It's been my goal to prove others wrong."Īccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 50 to 60 percent of hearing loss in babies is due to genetic causes. They said that I was going to be in the second to fourth-grade reading, and obviously, I've done better than that. I wasn't going to have a high reading level. "They said that I wasn't going to be a good student. "When I was younger, I had people who doubted me," Hunter recalled. But those doubters just served as fuel for Hunter to prove them wrong. Hunter, who was born 100 percent deaf in both ears, was told by some that she wasn't going to be able to keep up in school. Growing up in Southern California, the Temecula native faced her share of naysayers. But once you get to know her, you quickly learn she's not just any first-year college student. Colorado freshman Holly Hunterseems like your run-of-the-mill 18-year-old from a distance.
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