Softball Team

This is directed at people who live in my hometown of Dover/Wingdale who read this page. I’ve advertised on my Myspace and Facebook pages, just doing the same on here.

This is a message to anyone who chooses to read it. I played in a co-rec softball league last summer and this year, have chosen to co-captain my own team. The hard part of the process now begins, that being the recruitment of players. We are looking for roughly 10-11 players total, with only about 3-4 obtained so far. Please note, only players who are serious about playing will be accepted. We are looking for people who are committed to being present at the games on the time that they are played. The games last year occurred on Tuesdays and Sundays during the summer, with an occasional make-up game on Monday if weather prevented a game on one of the other nights. The fee to play is 50 dollars, so take this into account before contacting me. Play begins June 28th. If anyone is interested, please feel free to contact me via my AIM screen name which is illictantumvos or by email at illictantumvos@aim.com. Thank you.
P.S. This is co-ed, so girls and guys are needed.

-Rob

6. Nick Pfister

Nick and I went to the same high school but never spoke, not even once, throughout those years. It was our choice to both go to Dutchess Community College that created this bond.

Our first talk wasn’t even a conversation. Nick and I passed each other in Washington Hall at Dutchess and he asked me where the Student Services Center was, and I directed him to it. That was all. Contact online and in person when we saw each other at school followed, and this friendship was born.

The best times came when we actually carpooled to school in the Spring of 2008. It was the most basic things that made that semester enjoyable. The car ride to and from school was the highlight. It usually consisted of blasting Kid Rock and making sure to stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for a couple of chocolate donuts.

The significance of Nick’s friendship isn’t an easy one to write about, due to it’s -you have to have been there- type feeling. I do thank him for the rides he provided to school and his generosity when I lacked money for breakfast. It also helps to be one of the close friends I still have contact with to this day, as many on this countdown have faded.

Quick Pause

Just want to insert this quick piece then it’s back to the countdown.

An earlier post I wrote called The Way It Is outlined my stance on people commenting on what I write. I reserved that right for close friends and said that what I published wasn’t up for discussion.

I want to take that post back and say that anyone who wants to comment or give an opinion is 100% able and welcome to. I enjoy others reading my work and thank all who provide the record views I have so far this year (views from this January until today have eclipsed last year’s total already by over 60 views.) It is with this post that I make it clear that anyone who wants to share their comments or insight is welcome to.

-Rob

7. Clay/Karen Brooks

If it had not been for Clay and Karen Brooks, I would never have completed my high school career at Dover High School. They are to thank for allowing me to live a dream of sorts, that being my want to go from kindergarten until graduation day of senior year in the same school district.

During February of my junior year in high school, my parents decided to move from Dover Plains to a nearby town after living in our same house for 13 years. Their reasons for doing so were unclear, but the message conveyed was simple: my brothers, sister, and I would finish the rest of this school year at Dover and then switch to our local school for the next school year. Out of the four of us, I was most adamant on not leaving. Dover school district was responsible for a tremendous amount of happiness in my life. I had forged relationships with people, gotten used to the system, and enjoyed my time there. My parents tried to argue that I would just have to get over it and move on but I spoke out every chance I got. I was not going to switch schools when I had one year remaining until I graduated, and no one could have convinced me otherwise.

As time went on, I began to think of solutions. Simply “just going” was out of the question as the principal had made it very clear that I did not live within the radius required to go to school in Dover. My other option was a long shot, but if it worked, I could finish school in the district. I decided that I would talk to some friends and see if I could live with them and their families. Although this seemed like a good solution, it was not guaranteed to work and I had very few options. Instinctively, I contacted my best friend Jim about the issue. It was only proper to ask his family because I had the best relationship with them. After discussions it was determined that I would not be permitted to live with them. While this hurt, I had to keep trying. This is when Clay and Karen helped out.

I had been going over my friend Clayton’s house for awhile now, starting in my junior year. I found his mom to be extremely nice and his dad was someone to talk to. I had run the idea of living with him by Clayton and we determined that we would ask his parents when the time was right. I wasn’t really in a rush yet, so I agreed. In the mean time, I just spent my time hoping that they allowed me to stay with them. As time went on, and we still waited to ask, it became clear to me that this was probably my last option. If they said “no,” chances are I would have to give up my search.

As it turns out, the time came sooner than we expected. One day while riding home in the car, Clayton and his mom were talking about various things. The conversation shifted to my situation and her asking him if I had found someone to stay with. He told her that I hadn’t and suggested that I stay with them. His mother responded that, while it could work, she would just have to discuss it with her husband. The discussion occurred some time later and in the end I was given my chance. I moved into their home in late August of 2006. I was relieved, to say the least. I now had the chance to finish what I had started at age five.

I give high praise to these two individuals because they, like so many others, knew how passionate I was about not leaving Dover High School. They took the proper steps to make sure that I wouldn’t have to leave the place where all my roots were planted. For this, I am and always will be thankful.

Appologies

My appologies for the hiatus from the site. I had to rethink the top 7 and do some modifying, as some people truly had a greater impact than others, thus moving them up in rank. That being said, time to get back to it.

8. Robert/Terry Schreyer

As the last name indicates, this entry discusses Melissa’s parents and one of the four sets of parents I have had in my life. I felt this way very early on after meeting them, but more so after they allowed me to move in with them.

The day I met them, they allowed me to sleep over their house without dispute. I knew from the beginning that they were nice people who continually went our of their own way to help me or allow Melissa and I to go certain places. With me not having a license or car of my own, they offered to drive me home when that time came, and I never seemed to be a nuisance to them. They included me in plans that they had such as going to the campground or getting dinner somewhere. I liked the freedom they granted us in terms of allowing Melissa to use their car(s) to go places that we wanted to. Together they were nice, but they each had their own characteristics to be admired.

I liked Terry’s caring feeling for her daughter, a feeling that we shared. She made us call her when we arrived at and left places we went to make sure we made it. To some kids or young adults this seems annoying but I didn’t mind it. A simple phone call didn’t appear to be any waste of time to me. She also didn’t mind paying for us to go places, allowing us to have fun at carnivals and other recreational spots. I always felt welcome because Terry would always ask if I wanted to go wherever they were going. I was never left out.

Robert, or Ray as everyone calls him, was the exception to the typical father when it came to their daughter and dating.  From the very first day, he was completely kind to me and it was him who gave the final OK to let me sleep over that first day. He has a stance which I hope to adopt as a parent, standing by his children’s decisions and allowing them to make those decisions. He supported Melissa and her choices and said he would always help where he was needed. Most of all, I liked his openness to me helping around their house/yard. This was the case when the heating vent underneath their house had caved in and Ray could not go under to fix it due to his bad knee. He instead allowed Melissa and I to fix the problem with the instructions he provided. It was one of those jobs that no matter what, I didn’t want to be rewarded for because it felt good just to be doing the work so their house could once again have proper heating circulation.

Together, Ray and Terry became parents to me just by being themselves. They allowed me to move in with them in January 2007 and if it were not for my own actions, I would probably still be living there today. In any case, I was thankful for that chance and every other chance that they have ever given me.

9. Marcus Jackson

Marcus has always been a third younger brother to me. I mentioned T.J. in an earlier post and his affect on me, but it was his younger brother here that had a much greater influence. Marcus was always the first one outside when were younger and always eager to take part in whatever sport was being played that day. We always evened out our talent base, my younger brother Ray and I versus my other brother Matt and Marcus. It kept the games competitive and good natured. It also provided 13+ years of rivalries, all of which I loved.

Marcus allowed me to take a look at what I was growing up, sort of him being the living rewind of me. I watched him and his ability to always remain active and upbeat, and saw myself in those characteristics. Like I said in the T.J. piece, it was hard moving away after all those years, having our families separate after 13 years of being so close.

I got a bit of reward my senior year in high school, when Marcus and I were in the same gym class. The fun of our youth was rejuvenated all over again but this time we were always on the same team or side. We, along with Jim, Clayton, and Dillon Nugent, formed the “Mini Johanemans” floor hockey team and entered the tournament. Much to our surprise, we were crowd favorites and actually played very well. We didn’t win, but it was the best tournament and team I’ve ever been a part of. I asked Marcus to be on the dodgeball team that year too, supplying his jersey and everything. That tournament also ended in loss, but it was fun regardless.

I still maintain contact with Marcus, haven’t spoken in about a month but we still make conversation. He was the first friend of mine to contact me online and congratulate me on graduating from high school. It was friends like him that made me miss high school, a feeling that I still have, and probably always will.

10. Clayton Brooks

Clayton, along with Jim and I, made up our triangle friendship. We started this grouping in 10th grade in English class and it just took off from there. The jokes were always there along with the friendly ribbing that went on. We hung out after school at Clayton’s house along with other people because Clayton didn’t mind inviting crowds over.

Clayton became a better friend after I moved in with his family. It was Clayton that helped orchestrate me getting that chance and I was very thankful (moving in discussed in upcoming ranking) for it. We joined a summer league baseball team the summer before I moved in and that added to our fun. We would joke around on the field as well as in the dugout. He helped me out with my pitching because he was a catcher, so that helped me in part become the pitcher I am today.

I haven’t spoken with Clayton in quite some time now as our lives have gone in different directions. I actually just sent him a Myspace message last night, leaving my phone number. I hope to maybe hang out when I return home for Spring break. We shall see if he responds.

Breaking the top 10.

I’ve gotten to the top 10 most influential individuals. I just want to make some small points before moving on. Every single person on this list is on it regardless of who else is, no person affects another’s standing. The only differences between the members of this ranking are the ranking itself and the individual affects on my life. It is easy to assume that number 1 is “better” than number 20, but this should not be done. Also, some of the affects up until this point have been hard to explain, as some people have had more of a “feeling” affect than one that I can put into words. The top 10 though, I speculate, will all be longer than the bottom half. With that being said, time to move on.

11. T.J. Weaver

T.J. represents another athletic-based influence. I met him in gym class of my junior year. For some reason, we melded well, always choosing each other for the same team and things of that nature. We joined forces for our first dodgeball tournament, with him asking me to be on his team, which needed players. To me, we made the second best 1-2 punch in my gym class career in terms of knowing the other person’s abilities, excercising good teamwork, and overall statistics. 

The greatest thing I took from knowing T.J. was admiring him and the work he did. I played my best when he did and vice versa. I felt glad to know him, due to him being part of the “cool” crowd, a group I wasn’t much a part of that year, so I felt accepted. I learned teamwork from him as well, helping other people out to make them better.