No matter the scenario or opponent, Cole Snider refuses to fear, overthink, or shy away from any challenge–something he has been doing his entire life to rousing results.

The Branford junior started in sports around the age of 3, taking up jiu jitsu after his uncle ran a gym. After seeing how Cole took to the sport, his uncle encouraged him to try his hand on the mat with wrestling. Fast forward to last winter, when Cole claimed SCC and Class M state crowns in the 170-pound class for the Class M state-champion Hornets, before finishing fifth at the State Open Championship.

What makes those accomplishments even more astounding is that Cole, who also plays football in the fall at Branford, has been competing in sports for his entire life following being legally blind in his left eye. For his efforts, Cole was additionally awarded the Bob Casey Courage Award by the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance. The award is named after the late Bob Casey, a former sportswriter for the New Haven Register, who passed away in 1994 from cancer. It is presented every year to athletes who have faced adversity in their lives.

“To win this award means the world to me,” says Cole, who is also a fullback and linebacker on the gridiron. “I never thought I would be getting this far in sports, and to go this far in sports is amazing to me. The issue with my eye started at birth; my forceps were cut, and I was left with 10 percent vision in my left eye.”

Cole goes on to mention he did have to endure and adjust throughout his childhood, yet the situation became more familiar for him with it now being almost an afterthought and second nature.

“I had to wear eye patches and visit multiple doctors as a kid,” Cole says. “It was a tough time to go through all of that at a young age, but I knew I just had to persevere through it all. It is not that big of a deal now, though, and it has become a way of life for me.”

He may have to jump over an extra hurdle or two every time he suits up for competition, but Cole proclaims that he never seeks sympathy because he knows he is a student athlete just like all of his teammates and athletic adversaries.

“I just tell myself that I am just like everyone else, and I don’t let it stop me,” says Cole on his sight challenges. “I know it means that I have to work harder than the other kids, but it’s OK for me. I like to watch a lot of inspirational videos. I watch those inspirational videos and listen to inspirational songs before matches and games to help me get locked in and focused.”

The nature of grappling and the motions it entails actually turns out to be a benefactor for Cole when he tussles on the mat, with wrestling being more about body proximity than vision.

“With wrestling, I do not think about my eye too much; I am just going out there to wrestle,” Cole says. “In wrestling, I work with my hands a lot, and I am always staying close to the opponent. I use that to my advantage and work on upper-body things, which is what I did with jiu jitsu, too.”

Cole was also part of a Hornets’ squad on the gridiron in 2022 that helped Branford post back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time in 17 years. Branford football Head Coach John Limone praises Cole for his physical durability on the turf and his mental stamina away from it.

“Cole has been a shining example of what a football player should be,” says Limone. “He is tough as nails, passionate, and athletic. He carries himself with a dignity and maturity that are rare for high school players. He is a great teammate and leader. If you are fortunate enough to spend time around him, it doesn’t take long to figure out why he is successful on and off the field.”

Backed by a solid supporting foundation of coaches, teammates, and family, Cole continues to excel as he is now in the back half of his high school career. He concludes that no matter the cards that can be dealt in life, positivity and an upbeat attitude is the hand that always wins.

“My coaches and teammates have been awesome, as well as my parents,” says Cole. “Every single day and practice, they’ve been so supportive and helped push me through everything and helped get me where I am now. I have learned that you have to believe in yourself and to not let people tell you that you cannot do something. I have had people tell me I can’t do things, but I believe in people who support me. You also always have to have a positive attitude.”