She’s a typical soccer star — well, there’s one difference

By MARY MARAGHY
Clay County Line
It’s impressive enough that a seventh-grader made the high school varsity soccer squad at St. Johns Country Day School.
But the success of 13-year-old Carson Pickett on the soccer field, and on the track, especially, grabs people — because Carson was born without a left hand.
“Everything she does, she’s good at. She runs like a gazelle. She’s a great kid,” said assistant soccer coach Brad Schmidt. “Her disability has never been an issue. You don’t think about it or even notice.”
Carson can’t throw a ball in-bounds because regulations require two hands. But other than that she’s on equal footing. So far this season, Carson, who plays left back on defense, has scored 7 goals and provided 14 assists. The team is 22-1.
Her father, Mike Pickett, is the varsity soccer coach, Schmidt said, but Carson gets no special privileges. And she never has, her father said.
“She’s absolutely my hero,” her father said. “She’s never questioned, ‘why me?’ ”
Carson said she doesn’t feel disabled and doesn’t miss her left hand because she never had one.
“I can pretty much do anything I want to do,” she said.
Her favorite sport is soccer but she swam competitively and did well and is a track star. Last year, she placed third in the state in the 100-meter dash at the 2006 Hershey Track and Field State Championships in New Smyrna Beach.
Her advice for others with challenges was simple.
“You just have to try your hardest,” she said. “ You can’t give up, keep trying.”
Her teammates said they are astonished.
“She ties her shoes faster than me. She puts her hair up faster than me,” said teammate Kara Moore. “She’s very accurate.”
Another teammate, Annie Bobbitt, said, “I’ve tried doing things with one hand and it’s hard. It’s amazing how she adapts.
“I forget sometimes about her arm. She’s just so normal in the way she acts and presents herself,” she said.