'Torpedo Tyler' kicks a goal Aaron Langmaid
From: Herald Sun
June 09, 2011WHEN Tyler Fishlock boots the footy through the goals his face lights up.
He might not see it, but he knows from the cheers of the jubilant crowd that he's sent the ball high and long.
The little boy captured the hearts of Victorians as he battled the cancer that claimed his eyesight.
Now he has earned himself a nickname among his footy friends.
Nothing, it seems, will stop "Torpedo Tyler" from grabbing every opportunity in life - or in football.
Told he would never play the game he loved, the determined eight-year-old has joined an innovative NAB Auskick inclusion program that offers kids the chance they might never have had.
Mum Georgette said Saturday mornings couldn't come soon enough.
"He loves it so much and it's been such a positive thing," she said.
"There is a certain amount of healing in it, especially for his dad because I know he had always looked forward to the day he might be able to have a kick of the footy with his son. Now he can."
Caroline Springs Auskick co-ordinator Michael Solomon said the initiative was about ensuring all kids had their chance to shine.
A series of adapted drills allow Tyler to get involved. Coaching staff help him direct his powerful kicks by ringing bells.
Other exercises include running along a length of a rope until he feels a strip of tape which tells him the ball is at his feet. Tyler will be a designated kicker in the structured grid matches for the third consecutive time this weekend.
"He's got a belting kick on him," Mr Solomon said.
"This is a boy who was told that he would probably never be able to play.
"Now there is nothing stopping him from being the designated kicker after a behind is scored.
"The whole reason for this program is to send a message of how important it is to tell kids what they can do, instead of what they can't.
"Tyler's sense of touch and hearing is amazing. So we have used the stronger abilities he does have to keep him involved."
Mrs Fishlock said she hoped her son's involvement might send a message of inclusion to other sports organisations and parents of disabled children who might have thought they had no options.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/torpedo-tyler-kicks-a-goal/story-fn7x8me2-1226072026017