Legless Wrestler Grabs Glory Snohomish Teen Wins Three, Advances To Tri-State Semis

In Snohomish High School wrestling coach Bob Walters’ view, his 103-pounder, Cosman Bishop, isn’t handicapped.

“I look at him as one of the hardest workers in our room, he’s a great kid and he’s got a heart of gold,” Walters said.

“And besides that, he happens to have no legs.”

Bishop’s knees never fully developed. When he was 3 years old, Bishop’s legs were amputated at the knee, but that hasn’t prevented him from wrestling.

Bishop wowed the crowd - and fellow competitors - by winning his first three matches on Thursday at the prestigious Tri-State Tournament at North Idaho College’s Christianson Gym.

“Basically I was born like this,” said Bishop, relaxing between matches. “I guess in some ways it can be (limiting), but it’s also an advantage. I’m lower so I can do an ankle pick (move on an opponent) a little easier.”

After defeating Xung Lam of Ferris 11-3 and Dusty Dexter, from Sentinel in Missoula, 12-2, Bishop upset No. 1-seeded Kip Hauser of Issaquah (Wash.), 5-4, to advance into today’s semifinals.

Dexter’s respect for Bishop multiplied following their match.

“I just told him, ‘Good job.’ He didn’t seem like a cocky guy at all,” Dexter said. “Anybody who does well in this sport deserves (respect). It’s a really challenging sport.”

Imagine how challenging it is without legs. Wrestling, which requires steadfast discipline, training and mental toughness, affords Bishop a relatively even opportunity to compete.

“It’s a situation where he’s still matched up with kids his own weight,” Snohomish assistant coach Mark Perry said. “He doesn’t have to compete by running or speed. It’s just one-on-one competition.”

That’s the way Bishop likes it.

“Basically, it’s a fun thing to do,” said Bishop, who wears prosthetic legs when he’s not wrestling. “When you lose, the only person you can blame is yourself.”

Bishop is 8-1 this season. Normally Snohomish’s 101-pounder, Bishop’s only loss came when he wrestled at the higher weight of 108 pounds.

Born in Africa, Bishop was adopted at age 6. His father, a physician in Snohomish, located north of Seattle, met Cosman during a one-year sabbatical in Africa.

Bishop wrestled, off and on, in grade school and in junior high. He then became involved with wheelchair racing for several years, which helped develop his muscular upper body.

“I wanted to come back to wrestling because this is my last year,” said Bishop, an 18-year-old senior.

“It’s hard for him to have the leverage and the counterbalance weight, so he gets rolled through a lot because he doesn’t have the extra 15 or 20 pounds,” Perry said. But, Perry added, “It’s hard to wrestle Cosman. You take a kid here who is only going to see him one time and it’s tough to figure out what to do to beat him.

“Cosman really has to rely on position and technique.”

And himself.

“All I’m thinking about is my next match,” Bishop said, turning up the intensity.

Just like every other wrestler in the gym.

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