A Columbus-area teacher is taking a chance on the U.S. amputee soccer team
Apart from using Instagram to post photos of her German Shepherd, Oliver, Katie Bondy doesn’t use social media.
That’s partly why a random message a few months ago perplexed Bondy, a 32-year-old science teacher at Hilliard Online Academy.
A video of Bondy playing soccer at Adaptive Sports Connection caught the attention of Nico Calabria, director of development for the American Amputee Soccer Association. During this time, Calabria helped create the first U.S. national women’s amputee soccer team to compete in international competition.
“Probably about nine out of 10 times (when I reach out about amputee soccer), the person says, ‘Hmm, probably not,’” Calabria said. “One in ten people are curious and want more information. One in 10 of these people actually joins the work.”
As soon as she was convinced of the validity of the offer, Bondy accepted the offer. After several trips to New Jersey for trials, not to mention less than 16 months after amputating her left leg, Bondy became the cornerstone of the goal for the team that will compete in the Amp Futbol Cup in Warsaw.
The team will face Poland on Saturday and will play games against Costa Rica, England and Japan later that day and the next day.
“My philosophy is you have to try everything at least once,” Bondy said. “Then you can say you either like it or you don’t like it.”
Given that Bondy always finds a way to stay active, whether it’s playing soccer, rock climbing, hiking, snowboarding or lacrosse – in which she starred as a goalkeeper for Westerville South (2006-09) and Wittenberg (2010- 13) – those who know her are not surprised. That Bondy was born with spina bifida and scoliosis, walked for the first 31 years of her life with her left leg two inches shorter than her right, and broke more bones than she can count is both a headline and a footnote to her story.
“That’s quintessential Bondy,” said Wendy Pinta, a former Upper Arlington girls lacrosse coach for whom Bondy worked with goalies from 2016-2021. “When he catches the bug, he immediately jumps into action.”
Bondy has worn an ankle brace on his right leg for about 20 years. She wears multiple long socks to avoid skin contact with the brace, and straps keep her ankle in place.
Frequent injuries to her left leg over the past few years convinced Bondy that amputation was her best long-term option. She broke her tibia, tibia and talus in 2017 and “approximately 20 metatarsals and phalanges” in 2019 before an MRSA infection resulted in a two-week hospital stay in the spring of 2022.
The amputation took place on May 23, and she returned home two days later.
“I don’t have as much pain (and) I can wear normal shoes,” said Bondy, who lives in Columbus. “When I wear pants, I am not visibly disabled. This has never been a problem, but when people look at you and see a two-inch difference, they know something is wrong. Now they have to look at my gait to notice the difference.
After college, Bondy was an assistant coach at Olentangy Liberty in 2014 and 2015, followed by a six-year stint at UA, during which he won four Division I state championships. Bondy, who also coaches the club’s Blackjack program, moved to Olentangy a year after Pinta’s retirement and is now an assistant coach for the Hilliard Darby girls soccer team.
Pinta believes Bonda’s adversity has made her a better coach.
“She is a master at adapting and coaching this (goalkeeping) position for a wide range of kids,” Pinta said. “I think it’s really because she’s had to think about it herself for so many years.”
Bondy is one of two Central Ohioans on the list. The second is LaQuinta Haynes, 36, of Canal Winchester. In 2016, her left leg was amputated due to osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer that usually occurs in the longer bones of the arms and legs.
On Aug. 29, Bondy had her final pre-travel checkup at Hanger Clinic in Grove City, making sure her prosthetics and orthotics were properly positioned. She estimated that she had broken “at least four or five” prosthetic right legs and had used at least 10 braces before her amputation.
“There is absolutely a balance and a very fine line between durability and flexibility (of equipment),” said Jason Macedonia, a prosthodontist and orthopedist at Hanger Clinic. “Finding that balance is sometimes a challenge.”
For his part, Bondy balances excitement with his competitive nature.
“If I fall, I fall,” she said. “I’ll get up. If I miss the ball, I’ll go for the next one. This won’t be another match because it isn’t. … We are on the world stage. But this is supposed to be fun. Live in the moment and have fun.”
dpurpura@dispatch.com
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