12-year-old athlete overcomes obstacles to compete for a national title
By Eddie Messel
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SCHUYLER, Nebraska (KETV) — The first eight years of 12-year-old Caleb Hansen’s life were marked by challenge after challenge. He was adopted at birth and lost his mother while living in Missouri. He left behind everything he knew to move in with his sister, Nicole Taylor, in Schuyler, Nebraska.
“When I came to Schuyler for third grade at school, I didn’t know if I was going to be accepted,” Hansen said.
Caleb dealt with bullying in first and second grades.
“Here in Schuyler, I’m a lot more accepted, everyone here loves me, they all support me, I have a lot of friends,” Hansen said.
It’s not just the bullying; Caleb also lives with ADHD, Type 1 Diabetes, and an anxiety disorder.
“It’s pretty hard to focus in the classroom, and as long as you try your best, it gets easier as the day goes on,” Hansen said.
His outlet is sports. Playing everything from football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, baseball, hockey, and track.
“Sports really became his therapy,” Taylor said.
Now Caleb is using his story to help inspire others by competing in Colossal’s Youth Athlete of the Year competition. It’s a nationwide campaign raising funds and awareness for The V and Why Not You foundations.
“For other kids like me, as long as they just try hard enough and put their mind to it and they believe they can do it, then they can get it done,” Hansen said.
Caleb, now a quarterfinalist in the competition, would receive a $25,000 scholarship toward his dream of becoming a D1 football player.
“Winning this competition would be amazing because for so many years,” Taylor said. “I just feel like it’s his time, it’s his time.”
His advice to others is simple.
“Go out for sports, get yourself noticed, go out for student council, and stuff like that. Go out for things, try things that you haven’t tried because you won’t know if you can or can’t do it or if you like it until you try it,” Hansen said.
You can help Caleb win Youth Athlete of the Year by voting at this link: athleteoftheyear.org/2025/caleb-00ce. The quarterfinals voting ends this Thursday at 9 p.m.
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