Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘A freakin’ American hero’ Category

Kyle Bodamer (left) and Brian Norris bask in the afterglow. (Lorene Norris photos)

Kyle Bodamer (left) and Brian Norris bask in the afterglow. (Lorene Norris photos)

"I'm just gonna stay down here on the ground and hurt..."

“I’m just gonna stay down here on the ground and hurt…”

Brian Norris has a license to kill. And another one to thrill.

Armed with nothing more than his trusty tennis racket (one Wanda Sue), Mr. Norris ruthlessly patrols the courts at Coupeville High School, protecting teammates from being attacked by any invaders.

Well aware of the increasing danger of killer bees, who are just looking to get all up in your business, the Wolf senior, moving like a ninja, prevented one from dive-bombing doubles mate Kyle Bodamer Friday.

One moment Norris and Bodamer were pulling off the upset of the year against a highly-ranked duo from Overlake, and the next, he was dancing a deadly duet with a stinger-equipped killing machine.

What started as shrieks of horror from the crowd turned into the kind of noise one more closely associates with a One Direction concert as Norris sent the offending insect to Bee Valhalla with one elegant swoop of his glistening racket.

Time slowed down. Mothers hugged their children. And then the applause began.

And what of the steely-eyed Mr. Norris? A small smile, a tip of the racket to his fan club and then back to delivering a butt-whuppin’ on the court.

It’s just how he rolls.

Read Full Post »

Kyle King, American Hero (Katerina Koeva photo)

Kyle King, American Hero (Katerina Koeva photo)

The Dude abides.

The Dude abides.

Faster than you can cue up the theme from “Baywatch,” Kyle King is there to save the day.

The Coupeville High School grad, now a standout college track and cross country runner who ran on scholarship for national power Oklahoma this past season, is also working as a life guard. And he’s doing pretty darn well at his secondary vocation.

Though he’s characteristically modest about his accomplishments, he recently helped save a group of swimmers, including three young children, who were caught in a rip tide at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

King’s recollection of the day:

“We were breaking our chairs and umbrellas down at the end of the day when I heard on the radio we had a Code 2, which is a water emergency. I was a couple hundred yards away so I sprinted down with my buoy.

There were about a total of ten people pulled out in a rip and three little kids, with all the adults trying to hold the kids above the water, so we grabbed the little kids first, all around four years old, and pulled them in.

Most of the adults could make it in once they didn’t have to swim for the kids and themselves. We had to pull one adult in who was completely exhausted from holding his child up.

The whole beach ended up clapping for us once it was all said and done. It was honestly pretty crazy; definitely the craziest moments of my life.

The rip current was so tough it felt like a river.

We didn’t have time to swim out of it though, because there were so many people that needed to be rescued, so we pulled straight against it and handed the kids off to the third lifeguard who was wading in at chest deep. Just two of us were out swimming with the victims.

Everything ended up being 10-4 though.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts