"I'm too big for this," Garrett Blankenship said under his breath after failing to clear the high jump bar at the Pioneer Relays in Gentry.
He was too big -- easily the biggest athlete attempting the event that's usually dominated by those more lanky and limber than the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder.
But Blankenship didn't care. He was there, as all athletes should be, to support his school: Lincoln High.
In an era of sports specialization, Blankenship is an anomaly. He played -- and starred -- in four sports throughout his high school career.
I didn't get to see Garrett play football, but I bet he was a beast who gave his all every play -- because that's what I witnessed him doing for basketball, baseball and the aforementioned Wolves' track program. He even helped Lincoln High win a state basketball championship earlier this year as one of the "traditional" students on the school's SOAR (Special Olympics Arkansas) squad.
Few top jocks would even think of teaming up with a bunch of special needs students. But Garrett is a different kind of special.
That's why it pained me so much to see Garrett's high school -- and likely athletic -- career come to an end when he pitched a solid game, only to come up short in a 3-2 loss against Gravette in Thursday's 4A-1 Conference Tournament at Gentry.
Seeing the tears in his eyes after getting a big from baseball coach Justin Bounds, another guy who gives his all to the program, I had to look away.
As a reporter, we're taught to be unbiased, not to show favoritism toward any player or team -- But I looked away because I didn't want to tear up, too. Reporters come across as insensitive -- and yes, interviewing both the winning and losing coach is part of the gig -- because that's what we've been trained to do. Only in columns -- like this one -- are we allowed to express opinions. But reporters, most anyway, do feel badly for players and teams we follow when they suffer, whether it's a defeat or an injury.
That said, after gathering myself, I was honored to be the reporter to interview Blankenship after his final game -- although it may not be the final time he puts on a Wolves' uniform because he hopes to return to Lincoln as a coach after earning a degree at Central Arkansas.
Nothing against Lincoln, but all too often players of Blankenship's caliber are lured to other schools that may have a higher tradition for winning or because they believe it will help them earn a scholarship offer.
Of course, Garrett had those opportunities, but he has Wolves blood in his veins. He could never imagine letting his teammates or his town -- his hometown -- down by moving away.
Instead, other than winning the SOAR championship, he suited up as a senior for teams that went 4-7 in football, 7-21 in basketball) and 2-21 in baseball.
Still, looking back, Garrett has zeros regrets that he stayed at Lincoln to finish his career.
And that's a winner in my book.
Sports on 05/04/2016