Just like a normal kid.

Dale, 16, acts like any other teenager does. He has a girlfriend. In a month and a half, he will get his Virginia driver's license. He has an iPod.

However, one thing separates the Centreville resident from the rest of the pack; he is hearing impaired.

He could certainly feel sorry for himself, sit on the couch to play video games and let himself go. But that is far from the reality of the situation. Dale plays baseball and basketball, and is on Woodson's wrestling team. He works out at a local gym, trying to bulk up his 6-foot-3, 170-pound frame.

This fall, he will play in the Northern Virginia Baseball League. In the spring he plays Greater Fairfax Babe Ruth.

"Baseball is a visual sport," said Dale at his house one recent afternoon. "You don't really need to hear in baseball."

To compensate for his hearing loss, Dale uses his eyesight - and his brain - to make his way through sports ... and life.

A 'fluke of nature'

Dale was born on June 29, 1991. In his early toddler years, his hearing was normal. But when he turned two and a half, something changed. During a three-month period, his ability to hear was drastically reduced.

Doctors told the McCords that the official diagnosis was a "fluke of nature," meaning they had no idea what the exact cause for the hearing loss was. Five years later in 1999, Rod and his wife Audrey brought their son to an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, who re-examined Dale's CT scan. The real reason for his hearing loss, said the doctor, was a phenomenon called Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct (EVA).

In short, the vestibular aqueduct is a small canal that connects the inner ear and the cranial cavity. An EVA occurs when that passageway, which is supposed to be shorter than 1.5 millimeters, grows. When the canal grew in Dale's ears, the fluid drained out of his cochlea - the section of the inner ear responsible for hearing - killing the nerve hairs and leaving him almost entirely deaf. The condition worsens over time, and is irreversible.

"He has a severe to profound bilateral hearing loss, which means he has a 90 percent loss in both ears," said Audrey McCord, 47. "Both ears are aided with digital hearing aids, which gives him, along with his lip reading, a comprehension rate of about 80 percent of language spoken."

'A good kid'

"I can put everything behind me and not worry about anything," said Dale, referring to what he likes about playing sports.

He does not just play sports; he also works as an umpire, along with his father, for Little League and Babe Ruth games. Further, Dale is not the only member of the family with a handicap. His sister, 14-year-old Jocelyn, has Down syndrome. She requires 24-hour supervision.

"He's a good kid. I am proud of him in the way he has continued to be playing and doing his school stuff, and putting up with his sister," said Audrey, as Sandy, the 12-year-old mixed breed family dog, sat by her feet. "That's been kinda hard, and he's tried to help us with that. What I am really proud of is the fact that he is umpiring with his dad, and giving back to baseball as well."

When Dale became hearing impaired as a young child, the McCords made a decision. Audrey, who worked for (and still does) the federal government, had room to move up in her position. As a travel agent, Rod was more flexible, so he quit his job and became a full-time, stay-at-home father.

"It's just the way it's worked for our family. I do the shopping and I try to keep this house reasonably clean," Rod, 47, said. "If the kids need something at school, I go to the school. I do the field trips. If they get sick, I pick them up. Generally, our life is the kids.

"I've had a few odd jobs over the years, but my big money making nowadays is umpiring Babe Ruth baseball. That's a fun thing, we get to umpire baseball teams together."

'Not an excuse'

Dale attends Woodson because it is one of only a handful of Fairfax County schools with the resources to handle a hearing-impaired student.

As a 3-year-old, he started learning American Sign Language. He also reads lips, and can understand almost every conversation spoken at normal speed.

Dale plays spring and fall baseball, and wrestles in the winter. He used to play organized basketball, but it was difficult to balance communication and stay focused on the court. Before baseball games, he said, Dale pumps himself up by listening to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" on his iPod - turned up to the highest volume, of course, and using his hearing aids for further enhancement.

"I tell you what, I wish I had more kids like him," said Mark Richey, 55, Dale's baseball coach. "This year, he is my leader. He is the catcher. He displays a great leadership."

There have been a few instances when players or opposing fans made comments about Dale's handicap, but he said it does not bother him. His playing brings to mind the story of Curtis Pride, the first hearing impaired baseball player to play in the major leagues. Pride, now 38, made his MLB debut as a Montreal Expo on Sept. 14, 1993.

"It's also a way of him feeling normal, to an extent, because he doesn't have to rely on his hearing," said Rod on why his son has become such a sportsman." I am very proud of him. Very very proud of him. Some kids wouldn't even try. He dove right into it with both feet and charged."

Audrey was asked if Dale is an inspiration to her.

"I am very proud that he doesn't let it slow him down," she said. "Being deaf has not been an excuse. I am glad that he realizes that he can do all the things that anybody else can do.

"He understands what his disability is, but he still can be everything that he wants to be."

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