Vale student enjoys role on Viking football team
Winters’ relishes being a part of the Vale football family
By Scott Ford
Argus Observer
Wednesday, November 21, 2007 11:12 PM PST
| |
| Gage Winters, Vale Viking football team water boy, stops what he is was doing for a quick glimpse at the camera. Winters, diagnosed with Autism ,enjoys being a part of the Vale Football family. |
Vale - The Vale Viking football team is in the middle of a remarkable season, and in the middle of the team and its success is the team water boy, Gage Winters.
Winters, a junior at Vale High School, and the son of Kirby and Deena Winters, has been the team water boy for the past two seasons. In addition to being a huge part of the football team, Winters is also the vice president of the Vale student body, a member of the science club and construction club.
“First, I became the track manager, and I liked football, so I decided to do that too,” Winters said.
As the team water boy, Winters is responsible for taking the water out for the team during practice and the games. He also is responsible for retrieving the kicking tee after each Vale kick off – which is something Winters said he loves to do.
“I makes me feel great to be a part of a championship program,” Winter said.
Senior linebacker and Vale student body president Gabe Moreno, who is also a close friend to Winters, said that Winters is a very funny guy.
Both Winters and Moreno are involved with a program called Leadership. This program teaches young men and women how to become leaders in their schools and communities.
“Gage makes the leadership program fun,” Moreno said.
As a member of the Leadership program, Winters gets to do the school announcements each day, and Moreno admitted that Winters does a better job than he does.
“We run the pep assemblies together and I am training him to be the president next year,” Moreno said.
Even though the two young men work closely together, they do have some disagreements.
Winters said he does not like the way Moreno does the national anthem and has decided that it would be best if he did it by himself. You may not have noticed the new look the Vikings are sporting as they venture through the playoffs this season, which is the Mohawk hair cut. This new style in the Viking locker room was inspired by none other than Winters.
“One day after practice, Winters and Jakes’ (coach Jeff Jacobs) came into the locker room and Jacobs said that Gage wanted a hair cut. The whole team cheered him on and soon we were all getting them,” Moreno said.
“I was inspired to get my hair cut when Ray (Rodriguez - Argus Observer sports reporter) had his head shaved at our pep assembly,” Winters said.
Winters is a very busy individual, and he does all these things, despite having Autism. Winters said his disability does not slow him down and he still finds time to hang with his friends. He also plays tennis at Vale High school.
Jacobs said he has known Winters most of his life and it has been a joy watching him grow up.
“I think Gage is an inspiration to the team. In our program, from the biggest stud on the team to the water boy, they are all important. It’s not about just one guy,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said he would like for Winters to remember his time at Vale as a time of happiness and frindships.
“Ever since he (Winters) has been a freshman, he has shown all of us that the things you have and the things you may not have doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, but it is what you do with what you do have,” Jacobs said. “He has epitomized that since he was a freshman.”
Winters mother, Deena said, “He is very lucky to be from a small community that accepts him. We have never told him that he can’t do anything. He has a lot a good things going for him. His brother and sister encourage him all the time, and for him to have role models and peers to show him the right thing is great in this community.”
She added that she is really proud of her son and that he loves the Vale football program.
