By: Carter Gribble
SEATTLE- Coming into O'Dea as a small freshman from Mercer Island, you knew only one kid in the entire school. Watching everybody's faces in class and hearing people's limited comments, you didn’t know if O'Dea was the place for you.
You felt like you were missing out on your high school experience. You watched yourself drift away from your friends that you had grown up with as they started high school at Mercer.
You spent a lot of weekends at home and seriously considered transferring to Mercer Island after your first semester.
Things started to turn around academically throughout the year. Once spring finally came, you were ready for the short soccer and golf season. Dalton Dean, on the first weekend into the season, invited you out to play with him.
Dean was a senior at the time and debatably the best player on the team. He consistently shot under par in matches and was going to play college golf the following year. You were ecstatic when he offered you a ride down to the Home Course in Dupont.
You all went out and played with a few other guys on the team and got food after. You had a lot of fun, and it was the first time that you were grateful you decided to go to O'Dea.
The following year, senior Joe Githens, who was also on the golf team, invited you to go down to his house in Gig Harbor and play a round and skip school. You didn’t know Githens that well and were skeptical but went anyway.
Again, you had a blast and felt like you were a part of something. When you got home that night, you vowed to yourself to do the same thing for others when you were an upperclassman.
At the start of your junior year, you met freshman John Pokorny. He was a small lefty golfer who was addicted to the game just like you were. His passion was contagious, and you wanted to help him make the most of his season.
You gave him rides and swing tips just like Githens and Dean had done for you. It felt weird to know that you were now in the shoes of the "bigger brother" when it felt like yesterday you were a nervous freshman.
Throughout the season, you watched Pokorny grow not only his golf game but his confidence skyrocket. You felt proud that you were able to play a role in his success just like Dean and Githens had done for you.
Your senior year, you'll meet freshman Ethan Caoagdan. He will start the year on JV but will get pulled up when you sustain a season-ending injury to your calf. You'll be super bummed that you can't play, but you remember all the things upperclassmen have done for you. During his first game, he is super nervous, and you will pull him to the side to calm him down and remind him of his ability, just like upperclassmen had done for you in the past. You watch Ethan run out on the field with his confidence back, excited to play, and you realize the ride is over; you will never play an O'Dea sport again.
But you gave back to a cause that had raised you to become the man you are today, and you should be proud of that. Carry this into your future pursuits; being an O'Dea brother doesn’t stop after the last bell. It's an ongoing standard you carry for the rest of your life to make the world a better place.
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