On the latest episode of the Audio Companion Jordan and Tim sit down with guests Katie Bondy and Jeff Sanderson for a conversation that (pardon my dad joke) moved well beyond the touchlines. Centered on the Greater Ohio Amputee Soccer Team, the discussion arrives during Limb Loss Awareness Month and offered us a timely look at a sport and community on the rise.
Bondy, a teacher at Hilliard Darby is a Forward and member of the U.S. women’s amputee national team, described a game built on constant adaptation. Field players compete without prosthetics, relying instead on crutches, spatial awareness, and a refined sense of positioning. Sanderson, now head coach of the program, emphasized that traditional soccer technique doesn’t disappear so much as it evolves. Coaching becomes highly individualized, often involving collaboration with physical therapists to tailor movement and mechanics to each player’s specific capabilities.
Click on the Instagram link above to hear it straight from Katie!
What emerges on the field is just another vision of the ‘Beautiful Game.’ Players learn from one another across languages and backgrounds, with teammates from Sierra Leone, Haiti, and the United States finding common ground in what Bondy called the “language of soccer.” The result is a fast, technical style where anticipation and ball movement often outpace even able-bodied competition.
The conversation also covers the sport’s rapid growth, driven in part by social media visibility and a shift in perception. For many players, amputee soccer offers something rare: a level playing field where difference is normalized rather than singled out.
As the team prepares for upcoming outdoor training sessions and continues building toward larger competitions, the tone remains grounded but optimistic. In Hilliard and beyond, this is a program demonstrating community and competitive drive at the highest levels.
Thanks Katie and Jeff! Good luck on the World Stage! You make Hilliard proud!
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