CRUZ CONTROL
Cruz Lemming at first glance appears to be just another kid who loves playing rugby. He is much more than that, overcoming deafness to play in a state champion team.
CRUZ Lemming is a young boy who participated in the Gold Coast Academy of Sport rugby union program in 2017 as a 12-year-old with his dad also involved as an assistant coach.
Cruz, like all the other boys in the program, was excited, enthusiastic and keen.
The only difference is that Cruz has had to overcome considerable obstacles to be involved in sport.
He gradually lost his hearing after birth and from the age of three was diagnosed as profoundly deaf.
Since then he has received bilateral Cochlear implants.
His game play is pretty remarkable, especially considering he plays in the front-row as a prop where they contest heavily using their heads and shoulders to win the ball in the scrum.
Since being involved in the program, Cruz has excelled.
He was selected in the Gold Coast Cyclones under-13 rugby union representative team to compete at the Queensland championships, where his team won.
More than 900 players from around the state took part in the event across under-13, under-14 and under-16, as well as an under-12 development carnival.
Following the culmination of the finals, Queensland City and Country representative teams were named in each age division based on each individual’s performance during the tournament.
Teams competed against each other last Friday at Ballymore in Brisbane.
Cruz was selected in the Queensland Country team and was involved in a training camp at St Joseph’s Nudgee College in Brisbane for three days before the match.
For the first time ever Queensland Country won.
The score was 48-24 so it was a very convincing win for the Country boys.
Five other Gold Coast boys also played for Queensland Country – Kaelim Simona, Jat White, Thomas Skorupanovic, Benji Tauevihi – a member of the GCAS 2017 program – and Tom Loray.
To add to Cruz’s bow of accomplishments, he also represented South Coast and then Queensland in “multi class” shot put and discus in Adelaide at the Pacific School Games in December last year.
He won gold medals for each event while also breaking the national record for the shot.
Cruz’s story is one of many young talented athletes we have on the Gold Coast.
If you know of a talented young athlete in your area or sport, let the Gold Coast Bulletin know.
The Bulletin is on the lookout for not only athletes, but coaches and volunteers who make the sport all possible.
Awards are up for grabs not only at a local level but also state and national celebrating people who compete and give back to their sporting community.
Details on how to nominate are at the bottom of this page.