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October 19, 2001/Cheshvan 2, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 6
'See Rob run'
Sunnyslope teen will carry Olympic torch
VICKI CABOT
Contributing Editor
Come January, Rob Freedman will carry the torch.
The Olympic torch, that is, with its flame lit in Greece, then transported to Atlanta, site of the 1996 Olympic competition, and then on to Salt Lake City, where the winter games will be played in February 2002.
Freedman has been selected as one of 11,500 Americans who will carry the torch for a .02 mile distance and then pass it on to another dedicated runner to complete the 13,500-mile course over a 65-day period.
It's not unusual for Freedman, a 17-year-old Sunnyslope High School junior, to be lighting the way, nor for his mother, Mickey, nor neighbor, Beryl Morten, who nominated him for the honor, to be cheering him on. Freedman, captain of the Sunnyslope cross-country team, has been running competitively since junior high school, and he has been inspiring others with his accomplishments since birth.
Born 11 weeks premature to parents Mickey and the late Ken Freedman, doctors warned that he might not develop normally, perhaps never learning to walk or talk.
"He started out so small," recalls Mickey Freedman, pointing to a family photo that shows baby Rob about the same size as a telephone. Enrolled in a special needs preschool, Rob was mainstreamed in a public school classroom by the time he was in the third grade.
"Every teacher made a difference," says Mickey Freedman. "He's been blessed with many wonderful ones."
Not to mention the support of his parents, who encouraged him every step of the way, and Rob's own innate desire and determination.
"He's a fighter," says David Hirsch, a local pediatrician who treated Rob since birth. "He was born with chronic lung problems, had residual motor problems, and now he is a runner. He is what he is because of his internal abilities. We're inspired by him."
Nine years old when his father was killed in an automobile accident, Rob had always wanted to compete athletically, his mom recalls. His dad had played high school sports and had continued with recreational athletic pursuits as an adult; his mother was a high school tennis player and a walker.
"He had always wanted to play basketball," says Freedman, "but by the sixth grade he realized that he wasn't aggressive enough. He could shoot, but he wouldn't make the team."
She recalls watching him chase a neighborhood ice cream truck at breakneck speed and thinking, "He should run."
At Royal Palm Junior High School, his teachers also noted Rob's natural abilities and encouraged the youngster to develop his talent.
"They got him running in the first place," says Freedman of Royal Palm cross-country coaches Tom Bonnette and Dan McKeever.
"You don't see too many kids like Rob," says Bonnett, who saw Rob progress from a "middle of the pack" runner to Sunnyslope's number one competitor. McKeever calls Rob "one of the hardest working kids I've ever worked with."
Rob went on to compete on the high school level where he holds the number one spot on the school's cross-country team and runs track in the spring. He also is the mascot of the school football team, attending every game, and works as water boy/manager for Sunnyslope's basketball team during the winter season.
"I like running," says Rob simply, noting a preference for track competition and the two-mile distance in particular. The Olympic run, just under one lap around the high school track, will be like a walk in the park for the fit teen.
Rob is also an honor roll student, notes his proud mom, recognized as much for his academic achievement as for the effort that goes into maintaining the requisite grade point average.
"He probably tries seven times harder," says Freedman. "The teachers love him."
Morten, in her statement nominating Rob, wrote: "Always a risk-taker, Rob met his challenges with a combination of grit, determination and courage, and ultimately triumphed ... he embodies the Olympic spirit." Criteria for the torch bearer nominations include "inspires others to greater achievement" and "motivates others by encountering and overcoming adversity."
Rob, whose favorite subject is English but who also likes chemistry, says he plans to go on to a community college after high school graduation next year, then complete his undergraduate degree at either Arizona State University or Northern Arizona University. Older sister Jill is a sophomore at ASU West.
Rob says he may major in business or communications and consider a career in government relations.
When he runs the distance on January 13 or 14, the dates when the torch should pass through Arizona, Rob will dedicate the race to his late father and the late runner Steve Prefontaine.
In the Olympic spirit, Freedman hopes to have T-shirts ready for his cheerleaders, imprinted with the words: "I make a difference. See Rob run."
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