{"id":15033,"date":"2024-03-25T16:33:23","date_gmt":"2024-03-25T16:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/?p=15033"},"modified":"2024-03-25T17:25:20","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T17:25:20","slug":"parker-hanson-my-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/parker-hanson-my-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Parker Hanson: My Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"15033\" class=\"elementor elementor-15033\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-673ef401 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"673ef401\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-39b82dfb\" data-id=\"39b82dfb\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7dda5928 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"7dda5928\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15042 size-medium alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Portrait-photo-of-Parker-Hanson-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"Portrait photo of Parker Hanson with baseball uniform and glove.\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Portrait-photo-of-Parker-Hanson-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Portrait-photo-of-Parker-Hanson-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Portrait-photo-of-Parker-Hanson.jpg 645w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>My name is Parker Hanson and I am a board member for Employment Disability Resources. A fun fact about me, I was born without my left hand and overcame my disability to play professional baseball. I am proud to say I am 1 of 2 people ever to play professional baseball with only one hand, the first being Jim Abbott who played multiple seasons in Major League Baseball, and also threw a no-hitter.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>My journey to professional baseball started when I was 3 years old when I first picked up a bat and glove, playing T-Ball in the yard with my older siblings. My siblings played a vital role in my development as an athlete as I consistently&nbsp;played against bigger, faster, and stronger competition, and being that they are my siblings, they never&nbsp;took it easy on me. As the years went on, it was apparent that I had the mental ability to play at a high level, but it was still a question mark if I would be able to physically adapt to play at a high level with only one hand. As you could imagine, it took me much&nbsp;longer to learn the basic&nbsp;skills in baseball and in life as I had to adapt to my disability. I was fortunate enough to have access to prosthetic arms and a baseball attachment that connected to the bat, which allowed me to swing with both arms and generate more power. As for playing in the field, I had to develop a glove transfer which&nbsp;featured me catching and throwing with&nbsp;my right hand. To try to paint a picture of this, I would catch the ball, quickly&nbsp;take the&nbsp;glove off and pin it in my left elbow, grab the&nbsp;ball and throw, and quickly put my glove back on. Thankfully, my family was always extremely supportive of my career and even invested in a pitching machine and batting cage for me to use at home. I would end up spending any free time I had getting extra reps in and developing my abilities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-36c58e5 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"36c58e5\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-842d755\" data-id=\"842d755\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-103f1be elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"103f1be\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.21.0 - 30-04-2024 *\/\n.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=\".svg\"]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Parker-Hanson-playing-baseball.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-15041\" alt=\"Parker Hanson up at bat playing baseball.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Parker-Hanson-playing-baseball.jpg 800w, https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Parker-Hanson-playing-baseball-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Parker-Hanson-playing-baseball-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-193ca6b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"193ca6b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-7384ec3\" data-id=\"7384ec3\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4ed54c4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4ed54c4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>My first experience with major adversity\u00a0came in 5th grade when I was left off of the travel baseball team in my hometown. Parents of my classmates didn&#8217;t think I would be able to play in high school, so they decided to not let me play or practice with the team. This turned out to be a pivotal point in my life as I used this as motivation to become a better player and prove anyone who didn&#8217;t believe in me wrong. After years of practice, I wound up being a 3-time All-Conference and 2-time All-Section player in high school as well as a captain of the team before earning a college scholarship. For the next 5 years in college I continued to dedicate myself to becoming the best teammate and player I could be. My whole career I was surrounded by great teammates and coaches who believed in me, which is ultimately\u00a0what led me to sign professionally with the Sioux Falls Canaries.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bb9eb37 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bb9eb37\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e9b9ac9\" data-id=\"e9b9ac9\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-24f75fa elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"24f75fa\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" src=\"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Parker-Hanson-pitching-a-ball.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-15040\" alt=\"Parker Hanson pitching a ball at a baseball game.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Parker-Hanson-pitching-a-ball.jpg 800w, https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Parker-Hanson-pitching-a-ball-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/Parker-Hanson-pitching-a-ball-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-29ba631 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"29ba631\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-02b4b78\" data-id=\"02b4b78\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1d21d86 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1d21d86\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 19.8px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit;\">I share my journey to professional baseball to highlight that disabilities do not define people. In fact, I don&#8217;t look at my arm as a disability, I look at it as an ability to inspire others. I am grateful that I get to play a small role in ending the stigma around disabilities hindering people, and I will continue to be an advocate that the only disability that can hinder you in life is a bad attitude. The last thing I want to leave you with is a quote my mom told me when I was 8 years old and struggling: &#8220;Parker, there are people who have every finger, toe, and bone who are more handicapped than you because they don&#8217;t try.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My name is Parker Hanson and I am a board member for Employment Disability Resources. A fun fact about me, I was born without my left hand and overcame my disability to play professional baseball. I am proud to say I am 1 of 2 people ever to play professional baseball with only one hand, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15033"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15033"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15033\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15048,"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15033\/revisions\/15048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15033"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15033"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edrsd.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15033"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}