A powerful moment captured on video shows the incredible determination of a teenager who refused to let physical limitations define what he could achieve. When 14-year-old Tim Bannon stepped up to attempt a 20-inch box jump at a specialized athletics camp, he was about to prove wrong everyone who had ever told him he couldn’t do it.
The scene unfolded at a NubAbility camp in Du Quoin, Illinois, in July 2019. Tim, who was born without arms, faced a challenge that would test not just his physical strength but his mental resilience. His trainer urged him forward with commands: “Do it now. Jump up on that box now,” she shouted. “Go!” His first attempt fell short of the platform. “On the box,” she yelled. “Do it again.” Another miss, but Tim persisted.
A camp designed for limb-different athletes
NubAbility serves as a training ground for young athletes missing limbs, providing them with coaches who truly understand their struggles. Many of the instructors are amputees themselves, including Tim’s coach that day, Sabrina Reiswig, who became an amputee at age 8. She wasn’t about to let Tim walk away from this challenge, especially knowing that other kids had told him this particular jump was impossible for him.
Reiswig channeled Tim’s frustration into motivation. “All the people who told you ‘you can’t,'” she yelled. “Right here. Jump on it.” On his next attempt, Tim successfully landed on the box. The emotional release was immediate as he fell into his coach’s embrace, overcome with tears. “I just started crying out of pure joy and a little bit of sadness too,” he said later. The video resonated across social media, accumulating over 4 million views on Twitter (now X) and more than 500,000 likes on Instagram.
No excuses allowed
The camp’s philosophy is strict about self-imposed limitations. “Can’t’ is not allowed at our camp,” says founder and coach Sam Kuhnert, who was also born without his left hand. “We have that outlawed to the point where if a kid says ‘can’t’ on my baseball field, they owe 50 push-ups, regardless of their physical condition. They have to figure it out.”
The physical challenge Tim faced was significantly greater than it might appear. While most people naturally swing their arms to generate momentum and maintain balance during a jump, Tim had to rely exclusively on his legs and body movement. The risk factor was also higher—without arms to break a fall, every missed attempt carried genuine danger of injury. “We have those arms to protect us,” Kuhnert explained. Although coaches positioned themselves to catch him if needed, each jump attempt required Tim to put himself in harm’s way.
Brad Vinyard, a coach who lost his leg in 2012, witnessed Tim’s struggle firsthand. As the attempts mounted, he observed the teenager’s internal battle. “He was pacing and visibly frustrated,” Vinyard said.
Beyond the physical demands, Tim’s achievement required confronting doubt while being watched by an audience and silencing the negative voices that had told him certain things were beyond his reach. His successful jump stands as a testament to what becomes possible when determination meets the right support.
