Perhaps the word should be accompanied by a picture of Cole Kellogg.

Kellogg is the son of Shane and Tara Kellogg of Sugar Grove. He is a senior and a standout member of the football, wrestling and baseball teams at Eisenhower High School. He is also a dedicated weightlifter, which according to Cole is his favorite sport.

Cole, an outgoing young man who engages in conversation easily, was a three-year starter at cornerback and also did the place kicking for the highly successful Knights football team; a team that went 34-9 during his four years playing for the varsity. He led the team in interceptions in two of his three years and totaled eight for his career.

It might be a good time to mention that Cole was born with just one fully formed arm. His left arm stopped forming just after his elbow. But to Cole it’s no big deal, he hasn’t let that stop him and he refuses to let it define who he is.

Times Observer photo by Steve Younger Eisenhower senior Cole Kellogg has been a standout on the baseball field, wrestling mat and football field during his time with the Knights.

“When Cole was little, we would go out in the yard and play catch,” said Tara. “He would ask me how to do things like catch and throw, and how to hit a baseball. I would show him how I would do it, but that he would have to figure out what worked best for him. He’s done that. He’s always been able to figure it out.”

Baseball may have been the hardest to figure out how to play.

“Catching and throwing is the easiest part of baseball for me. It took me a while to learn how to hit with only one arm,” Cole said. “I had to adjust my stance, which compensates for the bat speed I can generate with only one arm, but I figured it out and I’m fine now.”

Derek Jensen, one of his baseball assistant coaches at Eisenhower, has watched Cole grow up over the years.

“I’ve been fortunate to have coached Cole for several years, from Little League to varsity baseball,” Jensen said. “He is a determined young man. He doesn’t back down from a challenge and is not fazed one bit about having just one arm. His transition from catch to throw is nearly flawless, just as quick as anybody on the team. He has a cannon for an arm and his speed makes him one of our greatest assets in the outfield.”

Times Observer photo by Steve Younger Cole Kellogg had eight interceptions in four years for the Eisenhower football team.

A common theme among Cole’s coaches is that he doesn’t let his “limitations” be an excuse, either on the field or the weight room.

“Cole is a young man who has never backed down from a challenge or not played with confidence,” Eisenhower football coach Jim Penley said. “I think that his confidence comes from all that he has had to adapt to and been successful at, and that has made him be the best that he can be. In fact, one of the sayings we have in the football program is to find answers, not excuses, and Cole embodies that with how he plays the game.”

For Cole, it hasn’t always been easy.

“I’ll admit that I have asked myself ‘why me?'” he said. “I do wonder what I could do with two arms.”

But Cole said that is what drives him, what makes him work harder than anyone else.

“I’ve had to convince coaches to grade me on my talent, and have had to prove them wrong on their initial opinions,” Cole added with a smile. “That got me on the field, but once I got there the coaches were always looking to replace me with a player that had two arms.”

His wrestling coach Jared Lindell doesn’t try to replace him on the mat anymore.

“In the eight years that I have coached Cole, I’ve never seen him give up in a match. I constantly have opposing coaches come up and tell me how much they enjoy watching him wrestle,” Lindell said. “Cole never makes excuses because of his arm. He is the best leg wrestler around, and one heck of an athlete.”

Cole will finish his high school wrestling career with over 60 wins and is being recruited by three colleges that want to add him to their programs.

For Cole, his greatest asset may be his determination to succeed at everything he attempts, and one of the things he relies on is his faith.

“If it feels like God isn’t there for me during the hard times, somebody told me that a teacher is always quiet during a test,” Cole said. “That has always stuck with me, because in life and in sports, there are tests every day.”

It would be impossible to spend any time at all with Cole and not be impressed by his positive outlook. It isn’t just himself that he thinks about, he knows firsthand what it feels like to deal with a difficult situation alone.

“Even though I may seem like this happy, cheerful guy, in reality, I struggle and I really try to make other people happy and make their day a little better because I know personally how rough it can be,” Cole said.

Cole would like to wrestle in college and possibly enter the heavy-equipment industry in the future.

I asked Cole how he does it, how he keeps the positive attitude he has? He answered with a smile, “I have to persevere, that’s all I know.”

In closing Cole said that he doesn’t want to be remembered as “that kid that only had one arm.” It’s likely not how he’ll be defined in the future.