SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- A local teenage wrestler was set to be captain of his high school team, but his future is now in doubt because someone stole his prosthetic legs.
Brett Winters is a double amputee athlete. The senior at Pacific High School in San Bernardino was born without tibia bones in his legs. His legs were amputated when he was eight months old and he received his first set of prosthetic legs at ten months old.
Brett uses different pairs of prosthetic legs, depending on his activity. Recently, the legs he wears for wrestling disappeared from a Pacific High School gym closet.
"Right now, practicing? It hurts to even practice," Winters said.
One of the legs has since turned up, but the other is still missing. The San Bernardino City Unified School District has offered to replace the prosthetic legs, but it is a long process and they may not arrive before the season and Brett's wrestling career come to an end.
"I was planning on going to CIF this year again or possible state championships and winning it all, but I can't because my wrestling legs are gone," said Winters. "Out of all my sports that I did at Pacific High School, this was the one sport that I could actually do and this was the one sport that I was able to do very well."
Brett was set to be a team captain this year, but that likely won't happen now unless his other leg is found.