Wonder kid creates a stir

Photo from Alison Doig Henderson’s JustGiving page.

So who said playing your favorite sports is impossible with just one arm?

Guthrie Doig Henderson would be the first to disagree as he plays football with passion and also does swimming, rugby and golf on the side.

The 12-year-old Briton was born with a left arm difference but it didn’t hinder him from being active.

“His condition was almost too much to bear at first but we coped and we accepted that’s the way it is,” said Henderson’s mother Alison.

“Now, he won’t stop. He’s doing a lot.”

Henderson served as a big inspiration to the competitors of the Alaska Football Cup held recently at Ayala Alabang Country Club in Muntinlupa.

The youngest of three siblings, Henderson started playing for Manila Soccer Academy when he was three years old. The family is currently based in Manila.

The two-day football tournament lured 3,800 players from 260 teams nationwide.

It puts a premium on developing team work and sports, making it different from other grassroots programs that focus on individual play.

“Alaska is doing its part in nation-building,” said Blen Fernando, Alaska’s vice president for marketing.

“Through youth sports development programs, Alaska is able to help nourish children for them to develop into champions in the field of interest and, in general, in life.”

The Alaska Football Cup, organized by the Makati Football Club, began in 1995 when Alaska Milk Corporation tapped former professional international football player Tomas Lozano to lead grassroots football in the country.