Rory Koonce jr. A.K.A. “The Stone PowerHouse” is a person who believes that the word impossible has no validity! In fact the brawny champion power curler shares his slogan with everyone that he meets, “The Impossible is Possible!” Having had to overcome being a paraplegic from birth weighing 1bl. 13oz Experiencing the seemingly insurmountable challenges that Doctors stated that Rory would never see, speak, walk, talk or have the use of the left side of his body. However, this was not in God’s plans and at the age of ten he began walking.
Currently Rory uses a walker, growing up he saw that people had an interest in how far the human body could be pushed, however that body was never one born with a disability. He then decided to see how far he could push himself not only mentally but physically as well. A former four time baseball champion, four time bowling champion, wheelchair track gold medalist Rory also wrestled in high school and has studied various martial arts including MMA and Brazilian Ju Jitsu.
An athlete whom truly embodies hard work and dedication this he has appeared in many media outlets including 6 ABC’s Prospective Delaware, The Delaware News Journal and MuscleProdigy.com where he was deemed a Fitness Prodigy. Rory has also appeared in Muscle & Fitness’s Magazine Tough: Only the Strong Survive Issue in August of 2009 and January 2014.
Today Rory possesses an Associate’s Degree in Business and competes as a power curler for the World Natural Power lifting Federation (WNPF). To date he is the only person on record who power curls from a wheelchair. Rory has won the Delaware State Championship (December 5th, 2009), National Championship two years in a row (June 26th, 2010) and (June 4th, 2011) and the World Championship three years in a row (November 6th, 2010) (November 12-13, 2011) and (November 18, 2012).
As well as holding the State, National, and World records in two different weight classes. Likewise he is a Certified Personal Trainer and Sports Nutritionist, through the American Sports and Fitness Association in 2008. He also is a certified metabolic conditioning coach from NESTA and is currently in the process of starting a Holistic Training Program for Disabled Athletes in order to continue to help all athletes and people alike.
Rory continues to embrace his namesake “The Stone Powerhouse” which is a metaphor for mental and physical strength. He strives every day to show that, “The Impossible is Possible”and truly is beyond physical.
