Johnson County high schooler up for next Youth Athlete of the Year

JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of healthcare, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.

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UPDATE, Oct. 1 | Oliver Davis has advanced to the quarter-finals since this story first aired. Voting for the semi-finals ends at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, Oct. 8. You can vote for Oliver through the competition's website.

ORIGINAL STORY | A Johnson County high school student is in contention to be named this year's Youth Athlete of the Year.

Oliver Davis competes in gymnastics, swimming, diving and is on the varsity cheer squad at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School. He is a standout in each sport.

"I love being a part of a team. It's like a big family," Oliver Davis said.

The Youth Athlete of the Year nomination comes with high stakes. But Oliver's mom, Becky Davis, said it's bigger than an award.

"You might not notice unless you look really carefully, but Oliver is hard of hearing and very close to being profoundly deaf," Becky Davis said.

Oliver wears hearing aids and works with a team of interpreters. His mom said his progressive hearing loss will only get worse.

KSHB 41

As a team sport, cheer depends on counts, communication and music. Oliver works twice as hard to learn and know what he doesn't hear.

"People who see that people are deaf or hard of hearing, they think, oh, since they can't hear, they can't do anything. They can't cooperate. They can't be a part of anything," Oliver said.

Oliver has proved all of those people wrong, as an athlete and a person.

Becky Davis

"Raising that awareness, having people see that being different doesn't mean that you're lesser, that you can be, in some ways, more," Becky Davis said. "I think that what some might consider a disability becomes like a superpower of his."

Her hope for Oliver is simple.

"I just want him to feel good about himself and to feel confident in the person that he is," she said.

Chris Morrison / KSHB

The national competition calls on young athletes to compete for the chance to win a role in a national 3BRAND ad campaign (featured in Sports Illustrated and on CBS), a $25,000 cash prize, and mentorship with big-name athletes like Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson and Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson East.

At the time of publication, Oliver was ranked first among the ten finalists in his group. He is now in the semi-finals. Voting for the quarter-finals ends at 10 p.m. CT on Thursday, Oct. 8.

You can vote for Oliver through the competition's website. If he advances, there will be another round of voting.

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