Comeback Kid
The
Senior Blake O’Dell moves past self-consciousness and becomes homecoming king
“If [Blake O’Dell] has a task, he puts all of himself into that task. He won’t stop until he’s done,” Charlie Copp, the boys varsity basketball coach, said.
BY CHARLIE SHEW
charlesshew@csdecatur.net
As he prepares to cross the court with the team’s camera and tripod in hand, the lights, the crowd and the music overwhelm him. “I get nervous when I walk out [there], because I feel like everyone is watching me,” he said. Although he experiences these feelings
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both on and off the court, O’Dell is not alone. “Tere’s not one person in this world that doesn’t feel self-conscious at times,” senior basketball player Jacob Fortenberry said. “I know I do.” Regardless of his nervousness, he sets up
the camera and begins his assignment: to film two quarters of the game. “I think Blake is someone who everyone can relate to, because everyone has issues that [overwhelm] them at times,” Charlie Copp, the boys varsity basketball coach and O’Dell’s senior project coach said. “But how Blake deals with his troubles is something to be modeled after.”
efore the boys basketball game, senior Blake O’Dell feels a rush of adrenaline flow through his body.
At home, O’Dell became very responsible at an early age, helping his parents care for his younger brother, Trent, who has autism. Tis set O’Dell apart from most other teens. “I wasn’t able to do regular stuff [with Trent] that normal brothers do, like play video games, wrestle and watch TV,” he said. The lack of these brother to brother
experiences hindered O’Dell’s social development. “Teenagers need to be focused on themselves and their acquaintances,” Les McGukin, licensed professional counselor and family therapist, said. “It is [unfortunate] for them to have responsibilities that strap them down, for example, a disabled sibling to care for.” Growing up with Trent made O’Dell the
mature and determined person he is today. The byproducts from this development, however, are his personal issues. “Part of the struggle for Blake has been finding himself,” O’Dell’s dad, Howard, said. It’s the first of the two quarters of the boys’
game. O’Dell worries about messing up with the pressure of others’ watching him. “His
own perception of himself reflects that of others perceptions,” Howard said. “He will do anything to get that social acceptance.” In the past, the presence of validation
from O’Dell’s peers has defined him. “Blake is like any other teenager in finding himself. He is concerned about his future.” Howard said. “[But] he’s more concerned what others think.” Hard work and persistence overcome
O’Dell’s negative emotions. Although he has tried out unsuccessfully for the basketball team three years in a row, he persists with the team. “I told him ‘It takes guts!’” Howard said. “Most people who don’t make it quit. Blake never does.” O’Dell could have given up. Fitting in with the basketball team,
growing up with Trent and struggling with his internal issues seemed like impossible dynamics to overcome. Instead, O’Dell took them on as a challenge. As he films the second of his two assigned
quarters, the excitement of the game sweeps O’Dell up. He suddenly overcomes any
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CARPE DIEM • DECEMBER 2011
Photo courtesy of Yajeel Brown
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