Post by mitchell on Jan 17, 2021 10:01:08 GMT -6
“The pride of Velva, North Dakota…”
The local newspaper had his face plastered on the sports pages once again. He was used to it. Not a lot of things happened here, yet it was the high school sports program that truly stood out… every week the sports section filled out with the exploits of the school standout athletes in all sorts of sports; from football to wrestling and everything in between. After all, the town was proud of the yellow and blue.
It was Sunday, and like every Sunday he was sitting in the Oak Valley Lutheran Church listening to the Lord’s word. Everyone knew him, everyone greeted him, everyone reminded him about his days as an athlete while he was in high school. No one ever let him outgrow that phase; he was “The pride of Velva, North Dakota…”. He was supposed to be THE ONE to come out of this town and do great things in the world of sports. At 6’4” and 265 pounds; he was a beast in the eyes of the people of this town. It didn’t matter if he was working in his father’s store; he was the beast, he was expected to do great things, he needed to achieve great things.
“As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.”
He heard the sermon with as much difficulty as he has since that day when everything came to a crashing halt. His eyes plastered right on the altar, his hands together between his anxious feet. Sure, he was devout; how could he not be after surviving that accident… but he felt the need to stand out. To do that he needed to jump back into the training room, he couldn’t waste any time. Yet, for some reason, today the sermon took longer than it usually did. He looked everywhere, the unconscious movement of a man that knows his peers depend on him to live vicariously.
“That’s why we must…”
The pastor’s words became a blur for a second. He thought of that newspaper he saw as he walked through town this morning. The one where his face was front and center again in the sport’s section; the one where the picture of his hand raised in victory after defeating Duke Andrews in the MWE Heavyweight Tournament… He saw himself as a winner in the end, after all he was The Standout... he HAD to win...
The local newspaper had his face plastered on the sports pages once again. He was used to it. Not a lot of things happened here, yet it was the high school sports program that truly stood out… every week the sports section filled out with the exploits of the school standout athletes in all sorts of sports; from football to wrestling and everything in between. After all, the town was proud of the yellow and blue.
It was Sunday, and like every Sunday he was sitting in the Oak Valley Lutheran Church listening to the Lord’s word. Everyone knew him, everyone greeted him, everyone reminded him about his days as an athlete while he was in high school. No one ever let him outgrow that phase; he was “The pride of Velva, North Dakota…”. He was supposed to be THE ONE to come out of this town and do great things in the world of sports. At 6’4” and 265 pounds; he was a beast in the eyes of the people of this town. It didn’t matter if he was working in his father’s store; he was the beast, he was expected to do great things, he needed to achieve great things.
“As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.”
He heard the sermon with as much difficulty as he has since that day when everything came to a crashing halt. His eyes plastered right on the altar, his hands together between his anxious feet. Sure, he was devout; how could he not be after surviving that accident… but he felt the need to stand out. To do that he needed to jump back into the training room, he couldn’t waste any time. Yet, for some reason, today the sermon took longer than it usually did. He looked everywhere, the unconscious movement of a man that knows his peers depend on him to live vicariously.
“That’s why we must…”
The pastor’s words became a blur for a second. He thought of that newspaper he saw as he walked through town this morning. The one where his face was front and center again in the sport’s section; the one where the picture of his hand raised in victory after defeating Duke Andrews in the MWE Heavyweight Tournament… He saw himself as a winner in the end, after all he was The Standout... he HAD to win...