Robert is a terrific young man. He's an inspiration for people much younger and for people much older than himself, Hofmann said. Adapting Bob Spotswood, Robert's father, said Hofmann was very supportive of Robert s interest in the team and really made it happen for him. Robert worked hard for weeks preparing for a game he had never played before. He worked on upper body strength and on simple drills like maneuvering a soccer ball while on crutches and with one leg.
Competitors play the game using forearm curutches.
Prosthetics aren't allowed on the playing field. Hofmann said amputee players may at first appear less mobile than two-legged players, but there's still a great deal of agility and speed in the game. All his life he'd been a right-legged shot. To play with us on the international level he had to adapt his entire game to controlling the ball and to shooting, with power, with his left foot. It was quite an accomplshment.