Walk-on players were always an important part of the roster while at FSC. The scholarship athlete was the bread and butter but there was always space on the roster for the guy who was willing to come in, go through the process, and attempt to earn his spot on the playing roster and possibly a scholarship. Each of these guys had their own personality and ego. Each and every one felt like they would get the shot they thought they deserved, would be noticed, and would earn the right to have the scholarship that was withheld from them when they entered the program. Kirk was one of those guys. When I first met Kirk, it was a riveting experience. Bright red hair, bubbly personality, and a massive belief system. The little bit of research I did on him led me to think that he would be a nice addition to the bottom side of the roster and maybe he would he would see some scrub action during the busy March months throughout his four year stay.
Back to that first meeting with Kirk. He wanted to come watch the team play a competitive match so he came to a match at the Lakeland City Courts. We were watching matches and talking about what he wanted from a team. I’ve heard it all before, but as a coach you really want to hear it again from another wanna be walk-on hero. There is a bit of tongue and cheek in those comments. I loved when players thought they could punch their way through the teeth of the line-up. Kirk was no different. As we watched players battle I asked the proverbial question; “Where do you think you fit in with this line-up you see out here today?” What I was waiting for was a response about giving it his all and over the next couple of years really trying to make a dent in the line-up. Kirk, being Kirk, gave me the response, that at the time was outrageous, but as the years went along really fit him perfectly. His response was, “I feel that I can be top six on this team.” I hope I smiled but I am sure there was a bit of shock on my face as I picked my jaw up off the grass next to court 14.
Kirk arrived in the fall of his freshmen year and didn’t really make that dent that he thought he was going to make. He did enjoy the college life though. There were some incredible stories that he and other teammates would share about their adventures when they had off time. He was enjoying freedom and he learned a lot about life that freshmen season. Sometimes, when you pay people like you even more. So much so, that you think you are in love. There were many laughs about that. Kirk was our only redhead so Ray, a player I have already written about, created nicknames for almost every player. In not such an ironic way, Kirk became Ronald McDonald. He embraced it. There were pictures of Kirk with Ronald, real and the statues. Somehow, and to this day we don’t know how, the athletic page on one or our sites had the profile for Kirk as Ronald McDonald. We were able to get it changed, but it happened and there were more giggles.
Resilience, determination, and desire were great trademarks of Kirk. He never really made an impact to the line-up as a player. He was, however, a badass in the gym and on our training runs. He found his role and did it to perfection. He was so good on the runs that he eventually became a two-player athlete at FSC and ran for the FSC track team during their season. During his four years at FSC Kirk had an overall record of 4-1 in singles competition and 3-0 in doubles. Although he wasn’t the player he had hoped to be he found his role as a gym partner and running rabbit. The scholarship players hated getting beat by someone who wasn’t at their level on the court. Even though there wasn’t success as a player he filled a role that I admired, so he was always relevant. Also, I liked him a lot. He just wanted more in life. He worked hard to get his grades up and earned Academic All-American status his last three years on campus. He was entrepreneurial as well.
He decided to save some money and rented a house off campus with some buddies. To better save money, he bought a scooter. The kicker was, his scooter looked like a miniature Harley. He would cruise around and even give the bikers the low wave while cruising through the Lakeland city streets. He would brag how he could fill it up with the change from his Honda’s cup holder. On one occasion, he even rode it back home to Clearwater. Yes, he rode his scooter from Lakeland to Clearwater. Let that sink in for a bit. He mapped out his route. All back roads. It would only do 35 mph, so this was a slow roll. The hour to hour and fifteen-minute trip took him four hours. That was Kirk.
As a player rolls through the program, you look, listen, and pay attention to what he is doing going towards his future. Kirk was out there. He didn’t really have great direction as to what he wanted to do but he was willing to try anything. He joined a fraternity, helped me with the off-court tennis stuff, worked for a golf cart shuttle service on the beach, did umbrella rentals, ran track, and probably other things that I have missed. Graduation came, and Kirk had done it. Now, real life was beginning. He started his first job and that wasn’t it. He took a chance and moved to Charlotte to go work for an equipment rental company. He was in the management training program, so it was in-depth. He would send me pictures of being up on the top of cherry picker lifts, driving steam rollers, using jack hammers, and multiple other pieces of equipment. Somehow, this beach boy, red head free spirit, found equipment rentals suited him. He is currently still with that company and now lives in Colorado. Awesome, is an understatement on how he is doing. The scooter has been upgraded to an adventure bike and the pictures from those trips are breathtaking. Awards were not plentiful when he attended FSC, but he has become an incredible success in the working world. Out of 168 sales managers in his area, he was number one last year. Because of his desire to take the time and try things out of his comfort zone he found his niche. Not only has he proven that he can make it as the underdog he is also a big CrossFit athlete. He let me know he was competing in the CrossFit open for 2018. Whether or not he makes it to the next round really isn’t important. This will only be a catalyst for the next opportunity that comes his way. Kirk was a player who came through the program, but now I am proud to call him a friend that I watched become the man he is today. Congrats Kirk! You have earned what comes your way.
Photo by Zoltan Kovacs on Unsplash
Photo by Eric Welch on Unsplash
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