WATERLOO, Ont. - "My parents always told me, 'never say you can't,' instead say, 'let's figure out how','' says Laurier Men's Lacrosse defenseman and Health Science student, Dante Delcul. This mantra has become the guiding principle of Delcul's incredible athletic career.  

While every athlete can reflect on adversities faced throughout their sport that helped build their character, Dante's personal growth and tenacity is particularly unique and inspiring. 

At just six months old, Dante was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP), a disorder that affects movement, muscle tone, and coordination. Specifically, CP is caused by abnormal brain development during infancy that affects a person's ability to control their muscles, and unfortunately, has no cure. In Dante's case, CP has affected the entire right side of his body including his right arm and leg.  

"My parents noticed something was wrong before I was diagnosed. I wasn't crawling, I wasn't walking on time," says Dante. 

In the early stages of Dante's life, his greatest challenge was finding effective physiotherapy and mobility tactics to compensate for the lack of proper movement on his right side. Coming from an active family, he also desired playing competitive sports even though the doctors had expressed their aversion and discomfort with Dante participating in anything high-intensity or involving contact. However, Dante and his family aspired for him to be given the same opportunities as his siblings and the other athletes around him. Through his mental strength, determination, and support from his loved ones, he did not allow his CP to be a limiting factor.

During high school, Dante played rep ice hockey along with ball hockey in the spring and summer. 

"With [ice] hockey, there were certain things I simply couldn't do with my right side and I had to accept that. With ball hockey, I was able to do much more," recalls Dante. 

Determined to push himself to new levels, Dante qualified and competed in the 2019 Ball Hockey Canadian Junior Nationals. Incredible milestones like this were clear indications that Dante was capable of achieving far more than the physical limitations set on him, and as a result, he was eager to evolve his athletic ability even more.   

As if his accomplishments in ball hockey were not impressive enough, the multi-sport athlete recently picked up soccer and excelled so greatly that he was selected for the Senior National Para Soccer team where he competed in the 2022 International Federation of Cerebral Palsy (IFCPF) Soccer Men's World Cup in Salou, Spain. The Golden Hawk community is incredibly excited to cheer on Dante as he continues his legacy this coming November, at the 2023 Parapan American Games in Santiago, Chile. 

Dante is breaking barriers as an athlete on the world stage and as a Golden Hawk. This past year, Dante was recruited to the Laurier Men's Lacrosse Team, after being scouted at the gym by head coach Leo Stouros. Leo mentioned that he was impressed with how hard Dante was pushing himself in the weight room and knew he wanted an athlete with that type of determination on his team. 

"Even after Leo knew about my CP, his response to me was: 'we'll figure out a way,' which inspired me to be a part of the lacrosse team," says Dante.  

Team Captain, Trevor Castle, recalls that his first impression of Dante was his outstanding athletic ability, despite being fairly new to the game of lacrosse. "When [Dante] walked into tryouts, he had zero equipment, just a pair of cleats… Leo gave Dante the equipment he needed, he stepped onto the field and it looked like he had been playing lacrosse for 10-15 years already" says Castle. 

Trevor continues, "seeing [Dante's] work ethic and the setbacks that he's had in life, and being able to push through it, motivates me even more. Leo always tells us that we have to be the best player on the field, and to match up against an athlete like Dante, I said to myself, 'I have to be better than this guy and he's pushing himself to his absolute limit.'"    

"He's always wanting to get better and push himself," says head coach, Leo Stouros. "I think it's the mental toughness that sets people apart and [Dante] has every ounce of it. He sets the stone for where our team needs to be in terms of buying in." 

Leo continues, "the [lacrosse] community will always be there to support him, and to watch him succeed and grow. As Dante says, 'it's not the cards you were dealt, it's how you play them.'" 

Dante's story embodies what it means to find your strength from within, to operate from a growth mindset, and that the greatest achievements are accomplished through the support of a community who sees your capabilities even when you are experiencing self-doubt. When you push yourself to new heights, you are inspiring the people around you to reach their highest potential too. We can all learn something from Dante's perseverance, humbleness, and leadership. As Napoleon Hill once said, "our only limitations are those you set up in your own mind."