(S4) - PT #2 - Dual Sport Stars

[Nonsense]

In 2006, Trey Lonzac found a deep passion for football. Before that, he was a world champion in the art of badminton. Whether he was smashing, or hitting some insane drop shots, he was a master of his craft. Being from Alaska, the competition never became too fierce, so his father spent his holiday bonus and flew Trey to Anaheim, California to compete in the World Juniors Tournament. It was there he would shock the world and earn a gold medal in the Boy's Singles category. After the grueling trip, he would go on to compete for the next two years, gaining a silver medal after a heartbreaking loss in Madrid. He also became Badminton Weekly's "2004 Breakout Star of the Year". His masterful net play and flawless gripping technique made him one of the most beloved players to watch. He desired more, and decided to hang up his racket in favor of a sport he would come to love. So, when you see him out there pouncing around the field with his cat like reflexes, it wasn't tennis, it wasn't handball, and nor was it dodge-ball. His intricate skills were most definitely acquired from the wonderful word of badminton.

Word Count: 200

[Zeegee]

While football is Vash Erikson’s favorite sport, you could say it is the only one he “played”. When it comes to sports, you play most of them: you play baseball, you play soccer, you play tennis, you play football, on the other hand; you do not play wrestling, you just wrestle.

Growing up in a ore agricultural part of New Jersey, wrestling was huge for the community and bred many great wrestlers. New Jersey is ranked 8th in the overall top 25 high school wrestling states, so competition is always fierce. Vash wrestled 195 lbs in high school, using his height to his advantage and his nonstop studying habits. This is one of the contributing factors to Vash later dedicating his college career to the study of kinesiology. Vash attributes his wrestling career and study of movement to aiding him in becoming a better football player.

While Vash was naturally talented in both sports, he was a better footballer, nonetheless, he did manage to place in the states in his junior and senior year of high school. His Junior year, he placed 3rd in the states and senior year he managed to win the state title, while sick with the flu.

Word Count Approx: 201

[Raven]

Written: Must include 200 words. Talk about other sports your player played earlier in his career. This could be like Jameis playing both baseball and football in college or just various sports your player played as a kid.

So Turk Turkleton is one of the great kickers in the NSFL. However football wasn't always his main focus. Back in highschool he also played hockey and rumor has it he was very close to being picked up by scouts of the SHL. Having been invited to go and try out in the smjhl junior combine. Turkleton played the role of an two-way forward, making good use of his powerful legsmaking him skate very quickly and his keen eye for defensive awareness. Which was perfect for the role on ice he liked to play.

He helped his high school win 2 highschool championships in the 3 years he played there and even got an award for best two way forward in the league after his second season. Once Turk joined college he had to make a tough choice which sport would become his main focus. He ended up picking football as his main focus, which led him to his career in the National Simulation Football League. Who knows where Turk would have been now if he had gone for the hockey career path. Maybe he would have been tearing it up in the SHL or one of the other many hockey leagues in the country.

(205 words)

[CDub2]

Cameron Taylor was a late bloomer. He started developing later than most of his classmates. Being Canadian, hockey was the sport all the kids played. While Taylor may have not been able to play in the top division in league due to his size, hockey is where Taylor experienced his first taste at a contact sport. Hitting and forechecking were where Taylor excelled. As Taylor developed into a fully-grown man, forechecking and hitting in hockey became a powerful tool for Taylor to succeed and a tool that the others in the league feared. During the summers, the love for hitting other people transitioned to the football field when Taylor joined the high school football team as a walk on as a 17 year old. After high school, the University of Michigan scouts went to go watch Taylor during a football workout, but it turns out Taylor was already entertaining the University of Michigan hockey scouts at the local hockey rink. Eventually, Taylor decided that football was the sport he would pursue full time at the University of Michigan. Throughout his 4 years at Michigan, Taylor proceeded to spend a lot of training time with his friends on the hockey team, and would often do on-ice workouts with players during the off season. It seems the path to football has worked out for Taylor, as a recent DSFL draft pick, but expect to find Taylor at the rink during the off season.

242 Words

[bovovovo]

Bork Bjornsson used to play soccer. That’s right, the 6 foot 5 inch 300 pound behemoth used to play soccer back home in Iceland. Bork played keeper (goalie, for all you uncultured folk), and he credits this experience with helping him develop his exceptional reaction time and lateral movement ability, which have translated handsomely to the NSFL as a defensive end. Unfortunately, Bork was never actually very good at soccer, but he excelled at rugby.

Iceland is a small place, so it shouldn’t be much surprise that Bork was almost always the largest fellow on the rugby field. Playing rugby was how Bork discovered his ability, and his enjoyment, in tackling people. Rugby typically requires better tackling form than football does, so this only served to further hone Bork’s athletic skills, grooming him to become the football star that he would eventually become. When he went to the US for college, he actually initially joined the club rugby team rather than the football team. Some scouts for the University of Minnesota football team happened to catch one of the rugby team’s games, and were extremely impressed by Bork’s combination of size, strength, speed, and agility, so they invited him to try out for the football team as a walk on. Bork made the team, and the rest is history.

(219 words)

[ErMurazor]

Jayce Tuck did not grow up with the luxury of having money to play multiple sports or other extracurricular activities. Since he was 12 years old Jayce was working odd jobs to keep a roof over his head and putting all of his energy into his way out, football. Obviously Jayce occasionally played some pick-up basketball in his neighborhood but the opportunity for other sports and anything officially organized was out of the realm of possibly for a young Jayce Tuck. However, when Jayce was 13 he picked up a low cost sport, though it has gotten more expensive with age, that he still “competes in” to this day. Of course this sport is: the horizontal tango, mattress dancing, laying pipe, plowing, nailing, making the beast with two backs, hitting skins, getting after it, hiding the salami, boning, bumping uglies, porking, burying the bone, jumping bones, bumping and grinding, playing on all fours, churning the butter, the ole’ in and out, winding the clock, tying the lover’s knot, the hokey-pokey, the bedroom rodeo, horizontal refreshment, afternoon delight, etc. To this day Jayce Tuck maintains the best activity to stay in shape and prepare for professional football is finding 1-3 women and getting to know them biblically. While results vary based on his opponent, Tuck has been kicked off the team as well as won the Olympics in said sport.

[RavensFanFromOntario]

Wolverine Justice was a natural master of the sports world, playing any sport ranging from being a pitcher for the second most popular sport in the world; cricket to playing goalie on the pitch for soccer, to dominating the courts of basketball, to being on the mound like Rick Vaughn in Major League, one and two, for baseball to of course playing football as the now super hyped potential prospect we all know him to be. While playing soccer, Justice was at best mediocre. He was big and understood the game well enough, he just wasn't quick to make the harder saves and never had true pro potential. For high school however, he was more than serviceable, only missing games when it was necessary. His cricket team was a different story as his massive frame let him put a ridiculous spin on the ball and with his arm already being what we know it to be today, it massacred the poor under aged children leading to four consecutive city titles and one national championship. Justice never truly loved cricket however and didn't pursue it past high school. For basketball, Justice was mediocre but used his height over most other players. When matched with somebody equal to him in height he would often get outmuscled and overmatched. As a baseball pitcher he, like many other elite quarterbacks prospects, flashed serious potential, but ultimately chose to follow football and he loved the violent element.

[Bayley]

Benson Bayley was a hell of a baseball player before making his move to football. He was a guy that was an extremely solid CB for his team in high school. He had to make the tough decision between going for football or going for baseball. Benson Bayley never had to make a tougher decision. There were people trying to pull him both ways as he was a player that was wanted by both sports by prestigious colleges. He was not the strongest hitter which is why Benson Bayley went for playing football. He was an effective Cornerback first and foremost which is why he chose there. I bet some Wide Receivers wish he chose baseball as did pitchers as he was a pretty easy out. In the field, he was someone that would rarely make any mistake. That is one thing that he took from baseball and brought to football. He will rarely make mistakes on the football field as he also makes few errors. Benson Bayley could have been a top round selection in baseball as well. It was a shame that he chose football as he really did love baseball. And the rest is history from there. Benson Bayley wants to make the HOF as a football player.

Words: 211

[MacTonight]

When it comes to William Ridley, football was always number one. From Pop Warner to College Ridley only played football in an organised team environment. However, at the behest of his dad Ridley took up golf, at the age of 8. Ridley’s dad believed if his young son wanted to focus his attention on football throughout his schooling life he need to have a calmer pursuit in order to ensure he found balance in his life. Ridley has enjoyed golf ever since, and due to his passion for hitting the links he entertained the thought of going to college to play golf before a football scholarship surfaced.

Ridley finds that golf provides him with an interesting challenge, as someone who naturally gravitates towards challenges, he finds the self-improvement aspect of golf highly satisfying. One of the biggest issues for Ridley is keeping his handicap low during football season, obviously football is the number one priority, but playing a round of golf helps keep Ridley centred and calm for any challenges he faces on the football field. Since being traded Ridley is very excited to see what the Yellowknife Golf Club has to offer in terms of a challenge, and he is sure he immerse himself with the locals for a few trips through 18 holes.

[XxpurplepurpsxX]

Some may not know this but Allen Davis played soccer for many years before he switched over to playing football professionally. Davis was able to use his time in soccer to work on his speed and endurance as soccer is a sport where you are always moving and running around the field. Davis played both soccer and football during his high school years. It was a great way to stay in shape as well as to work on his footwork and agility. However, after high school Davis received a scholarship to Arizona and left behind his career in soccer. It was a move that paid off for him in the long run as he flourished in college and made it into the NSFL as a late draft pick. Clearly some of the skills Davis learned playing soccer translated over to his pro career such as his speed and agility. Davis still has a love for the game and still plays soccer with some of his teammates that have a love for the beautiful game like Ronaldo and Flock. Although Davis never played soccer beyond a high school level he still claims that his days playing have helped him throughout his career in football.