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+---- Thread: *Derek Wildstar - A Retrospective: Part 1 (/showthread.php?tid=26156)
*Derek Wildstar - A Retrospective: Part 1 - Legally_Blind_Gamer - 09-27-2020
One late night in Dallas Texas, at Baylor Hospital in the heart of the city’s center, a legend was born. Although no one knew it yet, one of the greatest football players ever to grace the field at both the high school and college level was being swaddled by doctors and nurses and handed to his mother. This infant had just taken his first breath of clean fresh air, and exhaled the first gurgled cry of determination to come into this world. The mother holding the baby looked down and smiled, little did she know what a superstar she held in her hands. She turned her head and giggled as she looked at her husband, “He looks just like you!” she said.
“Yeah he sure does, he is going to be so handsome” the father said grinning.
The baby was named Derek, and as he quickly grew in size, he realized that his father loved one thing nearly as much as him and his mom: football.
Even at just the age of 3, Derek showed a proficiency in learning the game of football. He did so mostly because he wanted to make his mother and father proud, but he soon realized that there was something liberating about the game. Something he couldn’t quite but his hands on yet, but not soon after it would come to him like a bolt of lightning.
His dad would take him outside and play catch with him, slowly tossing him a Nerf ball at first, trying to teach him how to catch. After a few missed tries, Derek caught his first pass, and his dad came over and hugged him telling him what a great job he had done. Derek loved that Nerf football, he carried it around wherever he went. When his dad was at work, he would take the ball outside and throw it up into the air, pretending his dad had thrown it to him, and would catch it in his arms as it came down. He would look around to see if anyone saw him making such a great catch, but no one ever did.
When Derek turned 5 years old, his dog Max got a hold of his precious Nerf ball, and when Derek wasn’t looking, Max took the ball into the other room, and used it as a chew toy, tearing it to pieces. After Derek had lunch, he went looking everywhere for his ball, and then walked into the room Max had taken it, and found a terrible sight. The Nerf ball was shredded, small pieces of it laying everywhere, and as Derek got angry at the sight of his beloved toy, Max looked down at the ground sheepishly and tried to slink away.
After he told his mother what had happened, with tears in his eyes, Derek’s mom took him into her arms and comforted him, telling him it was not the end of the world, and she was sure this issue would sort itself out soon enough. After Derek had calmed down, she sat him down in front of the TV to watch some cartoons, and called his father to tell him the bad news.
Later that night, Derek’s father came home from work to help his son celebrate his birthday. After dinner and some cake, a few wrapped gifts were laid out in front of Derek on the kitchen table. Derek opened them with glee, all but forgetting about the horrible fate which had befallen his sacred Nerf football earlier that day. When he had finished opening them all, his dad told him he had one last present left and went into the other room. He came back and laid a box in front of Derek, who opened it and was shocked at what he saw. A new football! And this time not a Nerf ball, but a white and blue pleather Dallas Cowboys ball with fake stitching on it and everything. Derek’s eyes welled up with emotion, and he ran over to his dad and gave him a big hug to thank him so much for such a wonderful present.
And then Derek told his dad all about the story of finding Max’s “present” he had left him all over the floor, and how upset he was, and how this gift made him so happy that he felt bad for getting so upset over it all in the first place. His dad told him that the people Derek loved were the most important thing in the world, and Max was just a dog, and he didn’t know any better, and Derek should not ever be angry at Max for doing things dogs did.
His dad called Max into the room, and he ran in with his tail wagging, looking back and forth at Derek and his parents, happy to be in close proximity to those he loved the most. Derek went over and wrapped his arms around Max, and apologized profusely for yelling at him earlier, and told him he was his doggy, and hugged and petted him yet again. Max looked up and licked Derek in the face, and Derek shrieked and laughed and fell to the ground, with Max rolling around with him on the floor, showing his affection for him the only way a dog knows how.
Later that weekend, Derek’s dad took him into the backyard, and had him bring his new football. He showed him how to cup his arms against his chest when the ball was thrown his way, and to wrap his hands around the ball when it landed. Soon his son was catching the ball further and further away, until his dad told him to run out near the back of the yard near the fence and catch it from there. Derek did as his father said, and before he knew it, the ball was in his hands without him even really realizing what he had just done.
Derek’s father was so impressed with the way he caught the football, and his love of the game in general, that his son was soon signed up for Pee-Wee football in the local league at the park down the street. The other children in the league were mean to Derek as he showed up for his first practice to the team, pushing him to the ground and trying to take his helmet out of his hands and run away with it. Derek’s mother and father were over on the sidelines and had both taken a seat in the bleachers to watch. His mother jumped up and was about to scream at the coach to do something to get those kids off her son, but his father took her hand and told her to wait, he wanted to see how Derek would respond.
Yanking his helmet away from the other kid who was leaning over trying to pull it out of his hands over and over again, Derek tucked the helmet into his chest, and turned around, snapping it away and slid it over his head and fastened the chin strap. The coach ran over and told them to break it up, that there was no fighting between teammates, and Derek heard the coach call the kid by his name: Alex. Derek promised himself he would remember that name well, making sure he would show Alex on the field who he was, and make sure Alex never forgot him or his name.
What a glorious time Derek had out on that field: running, throwing, catching, breaking tackles from the other kids, doing everything he could to show the coach and his teammates he was here to stay, and no one would ever take this away from him. After a couple of hours of drills and being taught some fundamentals on what the offense and defense was, the coach called it a day and sent everyone home.
On the ride back to his house in their family’s SUV, Derek told his father how he was able to prove himself to day, and how much he looked forward to his next practice, so he could show Alex, his teammates, and his coach that he wanted to be a starter on the team, and how he was going to be the best football player ever. His dad looked into the rear view mirror and smiled broadly as he told Derek how proud he was of him, and he looked forward to watching Derek play his first game.
A few weeks later the practice sessions were winding to a close, and Derek sat on the ground with the rest of his teammates and started telling everyone the positions they would be playing at this season. After reading off several names, he got to Derek’s and said he would be playing wide receiver.
This made Derek so happy. He loved catching the ball, and feeling it wrapped tightly against his chest as he ran as fast as he could down the field. After all the names were read, the coach had everyone get out on the field, and had them line up into offensive and defensive formations, and try some practice snaps.
It was obvious right away that the other kid on defense who was covering him just could not keep up, and Derek was wide open on several plays, but the ball never made it his direction. Finally, on one play, as he ran inward towards the center of the field, he looked to his right and saw the quarterback draw his arm back and release a high spiral, that was heading right towards him!
As he ran his route, Derek was two steps now ahead of his defender, and he reached out and grabbed the ball with both hands, pulling it in and turning upfield to run the fastest he thought he had ever run in his life! What an amazing feeling it was to him! Here he was with the ball, and the entire defense turning to try and catch him, and being able to outrun all of them easily.
After the practice was over, Derek ran over to his dad and beamed a bright smile and asked if he had seen that. His dad pointed to the video camera in his hand and told him not only had he seen it, but he had recorded it all, and laughed as he told Derek they were going to go home and watch it right now!
As his dad hooked the video camera up to the TV, Derek couldn’t contain himself. He still had not taken off his uniform yet, and plopped himself on the ground as his dad finally got everything all plugged in and pressed Play.
The play was so surreal. Derek watched himself make a perfect catch, and run with that ball like there was no tomorrow. He made his dad rewind and play it over and over, wanting to soak in this moment, his first big play, his first real opportunity to show his dad that he was going to make the most of these gifts he was given, and make his dad proud no matter what.
And so the day finally came, Derek’s first game. His first chance to make the play for his team, and score his first ever touchdown, or so he hoped with all of his heart. His team won the coin toss, and he walked out onto the field, and into the huddle, to hear his first ever play call for what he hoped would be a ball thrown his way.
But it was not to be just yet. The quarterback handed the ball off to the running back, who was stopped just after the line of scrimmage. And again, Derek lined up hoping this would be the moment he’d been waiting for all his life. He ran a slant route to the inside as the ball was snapped, but the defense had come with a pass rush, and was able to swarm the QB and bring him down before he even got a chance to throw it.
Now it was third down, and it was their last chance to get something going, or else they would have to punt the ball away, and start all over the next offensive drive. Derek took his spot on the line of scrimmage, and as the ball was snapped, he ran straight downfield. The play was an option play, and as he got about 20 yards downfield, he could hear the cornerback right behind him, just a step away further back.
He reached his arms up, willing the ball to be thrown to him, praying that the quarterback saw how open he was, and to just pass it already, there was no stopping him now! And just as he was about to slow down and look back, the ball landed squarely between his hands, and he pulled it in and looked straight at the end zone another 30 yards away.
Something caught his feet as he was running, and Derek realized it was the cornerback, trying to make a leaping tackle to bring him down from behind. He jumped up in the air, causing the defender’s hands to break free, and landed squarely on the soles of his feet, and started running. His first tackle had been broken, and he looked to his side, and saw another defender running his way, just a few yards in back of him.
So Derek did what he was born to do, what his father and coach had taught him, he ran like he had never run before. He could hear his own breathing and his feet hitting the ground one after the other, propelling him towards the end zone. And in what felt like an eternity, but was really only a couple of seconds, Derek broke the plane of the end zone, and the reality of his situation quickly dawned on him.
There it was! His first touchdown! He jumped up and down, yelling and waving his arms as his teammates ran up to celebrate with him. Derek was in a dream state, this was happening, and it was real, and there was nothing that would ever compare to this feeling ever again!
That night when he got home, Derek’s parents made him a special dinner treat: a freshly grilled hamburger with some fries. His dad had recorded the whole game of course, and even though Derek had caught a few more passes that game, they were nothing like that touchdown run he had completed his first possession. He was going to cherish this day forever, and even when he got older, this moment was the turning point for him and his future.
Football was his life now, and that was it. He would learn everything he could about this game, and make it be the thing that defined him, the thing that shaped and molded him, to become something few ever have become a reality. To become a football superstar.
That weekend he sat down with his father and watched the Dallas Cowboys play, with his blue and white ball in his arms, laying on the couch. Somewhere around half-time, Derek fell asleep next to his dad, and dreamed about all the fun and adventures playing football he would have for the rest of his life.
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2562 words.RE: Derek Wildstar - A Retrospective: Part 1 - Orhanello - 09-27-2020
Really great story rooting for Derek!