Lowdog, RJ MT: Challenge Knows No Limits
How RJ Lowdog’s Fight Has Inspired Greatness
LINK TO PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN WIN MAGAZINE (press “control” & click on mouse to open in new window): https://pages.pagesuite.com/f/9/f9291732-ba3e-4089-a2a1-e78a7d118a32/page.pdf
By Bill X. Barron – RMN Events Writer
“Anything you can do, I can do.” This “can do” spirit has awakened the athlete within RJ Lowdog, providing him with the incentive and courage to not only become a successful wrestler in the way of his Native American heritage, but also to participate in boxing, football, cross-country running, and track, not to mention that RJ is an avid hunter in the mountains of his native Montana.
All these athletic interests are within the reach of anyone, but for RJ – born missing both legs below his knees – his unabated pursuit of new and greater challenges highlights the heart of a champion. While still in the womb, RJ fell victim to amniotic band syndrome; like a rubber band cutting off circulation, his mother’s amniotic sac pinched off the lower half of his legs while also causing a malformation to his hip. With the help of Shriners, he has received 27 surgeries, with more to come, as every few years his leg bones need to be grinded down to adapt to his prosthetics.
In Native American lore, RJ’s legs are still in the Spirit World; there to be accessed by getting in touch with his spirit fighter. In fact, RJ is a direct descendant of Chief Lowdog, who was RJ’s age (14) when he became a chief of the Ogalala Lakota Sioux. Chief Lowdog fought alongside Sitting Bull in the Battle of Little Bighorn. When the Chief learned that the white man intended to order where the Indians could live, in the August 18, 1881 Kansas Weekly Times publication, Lowdog proclaimed: “My judgment was why should I allow any man to support me against my will anywhere, so long as I have hands and as long as I am an able man, not a boy.”
When his father Brandon Neal came into his life at age three, Brandon looked to his own background as a high school and University of Oregon wrestler to help “draw RJ out of his shell, helping him realize that he could do anything anyone else can co.” In his first practice, when only four years old, “RJ just sat there and cried, but by the third practice he was rolling around and having fun.”
Brandon believes “God put me on this world to come into RJ’s life to make him into a championship wrestler.” But wrestling did not come easily for RJ; in fact, he was winless his first three years. By the time he got to middle school, RJ lost only one match in 7th and 8th grade. Now nine years after he first entered a wrestling room, after placing in national tournaments in folkstyle and freestyle, as well as winning a Greco national title (a style that emphasizes upper body technique and strength), RJ is a high school freshman seeking to become a Montana state champion at 113 pounds.
Vince Salminen, club coach as well as admirer, shares: “RJ Lowdog is the epitome of making the best of the cards you were dealt. He has faced and overcome diversity his whole life. People have doubted him or felt sorry for him, but none of that has stopped RJ from doing what he needs to do in order to meet or exceed his goals. This kid has earned all of his success; he will continue to earn it because he is a warrior. I look forward to what his future holds. No matter what happens in this sport, I know he will be successful in whatever he chooses to do, because RJ is a respectful and kind young man with the heart of a champion.”
RJ says: “I have adapted to my situation because I like sports. Opponents like wrestling me because they think it is going to be easy. Then they find out that I work harder than they do. I enjoy the element of surprise!” One day, RJ dreams of being a Rocky Mountain Nationals champion. He is also in pursuit of competing in the NCAA’s. Afterward, with his prowess as a boxer, he could well compete as a mixed martial arts fighter.
His father knows that “RJ has to work ten times harder to accomplish what he does,” but considers “his situation to be a blessing. He might not be the same person he is now if he had two legs.” Thus Brandon has taken him all over the country so as to figure out how to beat different styles and new opponents. Their favorite series is RMN Events because he gets to see wrestlers from several states and compete for huge trophies while staying within driving distance of his native Montana.
Another club coach, Shane Salminen, relates: “As his coach, I have always believed that RJ would be able to make a disadvantage/disability become an advantage in the sport of wrestling. As a coach of RJ, we emphasized moves with scores from a lower level. Referees needed to be coached that when RJ is on his knees and facing an opponent, that this is an escape. In defending his unusual technique, I have been given a few red cards and have had to sit in the stands for half an hour.” Moves like the snap down and fireman’s carry from the neutral position, the Petersen roll and sit-out from bottom, and the tilt and bar arm series on top are most suited for RJ to take advantage of his upper body strength.
His Billings (MT) West high school coach, Jeremy Hernandez, asserts: “It’s obvious that RJ has a disability, but he has not let that stop him from training and getting better every day. RJ has learned to wrestle with this disability and flourished as a competitor. I am really excited to see what he is going to accomplish in the next four years as a West High Bear. RJ is a leader in and out of the room. He does not want any special treatment from anyone because of his disability; in fact, it kind of irritates him when people do that. He will do great things during his time at West High and beyond. People will remember RJ for being the kid who never had an excuse.”
While wrestling is a passion for RJ, it has also “helped him come out of himself.” A Shriner’s Spokesperson of the Year in 2013, RJ addressed an audience of 2500 people. He has also been a featured guest of Montana’s East-West All-Star football game and was invited to speak to Native American youth at a unity symposium in Denver. An owner of his own lawn mower business at age fourteen, RJ has demonstrated maturity beyond his years. RJ belongs to the Assinaboine and Sioux tribes, where he is a Pipe Carrier; he ran thirteen miles on his prosthetic legs as part of a tribal sobriety run. An active member of the Dakota Sweat Lodge, RJ connected with his ancestors by sitting on a hill for four days without food or water. According to native lore, RJ was dying while still alive in order to be reborn as a full-fledged spiritual being.
At the same time, “RJ is a walking spokesperson for wrestling.” Brandon continues: “He is visual – people recognize and identify with him. Lots of kids have joined our club because he is such an inspiration. They know that if he can do it, they can as well. In reality, I don’t see him as being handicapped. Instead, I see a person who is always striving, never giving up. With God, everything is possible.” Character is the element within a person which informs how he or she will face adversity. In the spirit, sacrifice, and success of RJ Lowdog, here is a true champion who embodies character.
Challenge Knows No Limits
The Only Disability Is the One You Don’t Fight
Story of RJ Lowdog
By Bill X. Barron – RMN Events Writer
With Coaches Shane & Vince Salminen and Jeremy Hernandez
Coach Shane Salminen
“I met RJ and his parents in 2007. My name is Shane Salminen I am an RN as well as a wrestling coach and official. The first time I met RJ, I watched him walk into the building wearing his prosthetics, noticing he had a bilateral amputation below the knees. It immediately reminded me of another wrestler, Anthony Robles. I had watched Anthony wrestle many times at the USAW Kids Western Regionals; he would hop out on to the mat with one leg and kick butt on the mat. I later told his father Brandon that wrestling would be a sport in which RJ could be a champion.”
“As his coach, I have always believed that RJ would be able to make a disadvantage/disability become an advantage in the sport of wrestling. I encouraged him to come and join Billings Wrestling Club. RJ and my son Paulo are around the same age and size, so at four and five years old they became practice partners. The minute RJ got on the mats all eyes were on him. Some observers felt with feelings of empathy; some were fearful because they didn’t want their child to hurt him. Yet parents of his opponents were telling others to look at this wrestler who is fearless. A true Native Warrior with the heart of Geronimo, Sitting Bull or Chief Joseph!”
“As a coach of RJ, we emphasized moves with scores from a lower level. Referees needed to be coached that when RJ is on his knees and facing an opponent, that this is an escape. In defending his unusual technique, I have been given a few red cards and have had to sit in the stands for half an hour. Not shying away from challenge, RJ has been all around the Western United States competing at the highest level of youth wrestling. He has even won Greco-Roman national tournaments (a style which requires upper body technique).”
“I believe that the Olympic Gold Medal is in RJ’s future! Hard things are put in our way, not to stop us, but to call out our courage and strength. Being disabled should never mean being disqualified from having access to every aspect of life.”
Coach Vince Salminen
“While I was still wrestling for North Dakota State University in the late 2000's, I was first introduced to RJ Lowdog. Coming home from NDSU one time, I decided to help out at a Billings Wrestling Club practice where my father and uncle coached, a club in which I grew up wrestling. As I was lacing up my shoes, I saw RJ across the room taking off his sweats. It was then that I noticed that he had artificial legs. My father had told me a little about RJ, but I had never met him. Seeing him that first time on the mat, I was in awe. Immediately, I saw something in him that not many of the other kids had: he had the will to do whatever it took to be a champion. Most people born with a disability like he had would have laid down when presented with adversity or just given up completely. Not RJ! Already I could see that he was a champion just by being in that room competing with kids who have legs with which to wrestle.”
“After finishing my college wrestling career, I came back home to Billings and took over as the head coach at the Billings Wrestling Club for a few years. It was during this time I really got the opportunity to work with RJ on the mat. At first it was tough for him because most of the techniques we were working on just did not work for him because of his missing lower legs. But after I gave it some thought, I came up with variations of the techniques to make it "RJ style.” Once we got him doing some things that worked for him, he really started to dominate people in our wrestling room, then on the state and national stage.”
“Some would say that RJ's legs were a disadvantage to him, but actually he uses this to his advantage. No opponent of RJ's will ever be ready to wrestle him because they cannot prepare for the way he wrestles. One of RJ's heroes, Arizona State stand-out and NCAA National Champion, Anthony Robles, was born with only one leg. Anthony figured out a style of wrestling that worked for him and used it to his advantage. RJ has done the same.”
“RJ always worked like a madman in the room, no matter what we were doing. I remember one time he wanted to run wearing his prosthetic legs; I made him take them off and run on his hands and knees because that was how he wrestled. RJ didn't like it at first, because he felt different than the other kids, but after a while he was beating the kids who could run on two legs while he was bear crawling. It was awesome to see him working so hard, then earning results in competition. RJ has always worked hard while listening to what you had to say to him.”
“One time at practice RJ and another kid were going really hard against one another, then started to fight. I told them that they could put the boxing gloves on after practice if they wanted to fight. But I was so surprised when RJ put his prosthetic legs on and called the kid out to box him. RJ and the kid went out and threw down for a good five minutes. I was very proud of them both, but I was surprised at how good RJ was at boxing. He later became a boxer as well as a wrestler. RJ is just an all-around tough kid. It may be due to the fact that he was born without legs, but I think that RJ just has that ‘never quit’ attitude that is seen in most high-level athletes.”
“RJ Lowdog is the epitome of making the best of the cards you were dealt. He has faced and overcome diversity his whole life. People have doubted him or felt sorry for him, but none of that has stopped RJ from doing what he needs to do in order to meet or exceed his goals. This kid has earned all of his success; he will continue to earn it because he is a warrior. I look forward to what his future holds. No matter what happens in this sport, I know he will be successful in whatever he chooses to do, because RJ is a respectful and kind young man with the heart of a champion.”
Vince Salminen
North Dakota State University NCAA Div. I, 2006-2011
2X NCAA Div. I National Qualifier
2X NCAA Div. I Western Wrestling Conference Champion
2X Montana State Champion
Coach Jeremy Hernandez
“RJ Lowdog wrestled the past three years for me at Team Champs Wrestling Club and now as a freshman at Billings (MT) West High. I have had the pleasure of coaching RJ in many matches throughout the past few years. RJ is the kind of kid every wrestling coach wishes they had in their room for many reasons. There is not one day I can recall RJ not working hard, following the coach's instructions, then giving his all during live goes in practice and during matches.”
“It’s obvious that RJ has a disability, but he has not let that stop him from training and getting better every day. RJ has learned to wrestle with this disability and flourished as a competitor. I am really excited to see what he is going to accomplish in the next four years as a West High Bear. RJ is a leader in and out of the room. He does not want any special treatment from anyone because of his disability; in fact, it kind of irritates him when people do that. He will do great things during his time at West High and beyond. People will remember RJ for being the kid who never had an excuse.”
Thank you.
Jeremy Hernandez
Head Wrestling Coach, Billings West High