Hamill Calm in the Eye of an Unnecessary Storm

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By Thomas Gerbasi

As one of the top prospects in mixed martial arts’ most high-profile division, light heavyweight Matt Hamill has proven that being deaf isn’t a handicap, but instead, a mere obstacle to be overcome on the way to bigger and better things.

This was never more evident than in his April 2nd win over Tim Boetsch, in which he took out his highly-regarded foe with strikes in the second round to improve to 6-1 as a pro.

“I thought Tim was an excellent opponent, he has very good skills and we both left it all in the Octagon,” said Hamill. “My thought was, just win this and I’m one step closer to cracking the top ten in the world, which has always been a goal for me. I hope to keep climbing the ladder and achieve that goal soon.”

But with everything these days, there is always some bad to come with the good, and as a movie about Hamill’s early years, “Hamill”, begins the casting process, the 31 year old has been under siege by a segment of the deaf community which has taken offense to the casting of a non-deaf actor, Eben Kostbar, as the fighter.

“I was really shocked by the reaction,” said Hamill. “I thought the movie would receive positive feedback from the deaf community because this movie is based on a deaf athlete and the life surrounding his deafness. It hurt at first, but I've come to realize that this is a small portion of the deaf community. With positive things, comes the negative things. If anything, it has kept me grounded.”

Two casting calls for the film, at Gallaudet University and at Hamill’s alma mater, Rochester Institute of Technology, were canceled in protest, despite the fact that Hamill insisted that all other roles be played by deaf actors. But the Utica, New York resident continues to stand by his decision to cast Kostbar, who was also involved in the writing of the film.

“He has gotten to know me very well, both personally and professionally,” said Hamill of Kostbar. “He is fluent in ASL (American Sign Language), and he also wrestles. He and I are alike in a lot of ways, and I felt that he best represented me and how I want to be portrayed.”

It isn’t the first time Hamill has been in the line of fire, with some even wrongly criticizing him for not using sign language during interviews, something he takes issue with.

“An example (of the criticism I have taken) is that a lot of my taped interviews don't show me signing,” said Hamill. “The camera is focused on my face, and not my top half where my hands can be seen, so they assume that I am only speaking and not signing. What they don't realize is that I AM signing, but my hands are cut off from the camera. And also, after fights, I get so caught up in the moment that I don't even think; I can barely speak sometimes after a fight.”

But when it comes down to it, shouldn’t those in the deaf community be celebrating someone who is representing them to the world, and not tearing him down?

“The deaf community doesn't necessarily want to separate themselves from the every day lives of people,” explains Hamill. “They just feel that sometimes they get pushed into a corner and they want some acknowledgement from the "hearing" world that they can have as much success as anyone else. So I think that's why they were opposed to having a hearing actor play my role. Because why not a deaf actor? I do understand their views, but I wish they'd also see mine.”

Regardless, Hamill has also received plenty of encouragement from the community, as various message board and blog postings will show, and he is undeterred in his quest not only for a world championship, but to be a positive force for deaf people and to show that with the right attitude, there are no limitations.

“I hope they gain inspiration from my story, that it doesn't matter what obstacles you face, whether its a physical disability or even a mental disability, that you can achieve your dreams if you work hard at it and keep at it through your failures AND your successes,” said Hamill. “I want people to know that they need to believe in themselves even when everyone else is knocking you down.”

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