“Tuesday, October 19, 2004 will go down as one of the greatest days of my life. That is the day I got to meet and spend time with Marcus Tracy. Marcus Tracy is a senior at Newtown High School where I live. He also happens to be a high honors student and one of the best soccer players in the state. Soccer is my passion, so Marcus has become a great inspiration to me. He plays the center forward position like I do on my U10 travel team, the Cobras.

Watching Marcus play, it became clear that I want to be like him when I get to high school. So I, being 9 years old, went over to him after one of NHS’ games and asked him if I could interview him for my Reflections project this year. Shortly after finishing dinner on the night of October 19, our phone rang. My mom answered, spoke briefly, hung up the phone and called me into the kitchen. She told me that Marcus Tracy, my hero, had just called and asked if he could take me to the NHS girls game that night. He also had the completed questionnaire I had given to him. I jumped up and down, yelled ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ and then did a victory dance before my Mom told me to calm down and go upstairs to dress warmly. She even gave me five dollars to buy something at the concession stand! This was going to be awesome! At the girls’ soccer game we sat with a bunch of Marcus’ friends. Some of them play soccer with him. It was Senior Night, so he was going to support the girls. I got some popcorn with the money my Mom gave me and Marcus bought me a soda. Some of his friends were crazy! Marcus introduced me to his coach, Coach Neumeyer. I had so much fun. Everyone kept staring at me. They were probably thinking, ‘Who is that cool little kid with Marcus Tracy?’ Yep, it was great! When the game was over, Marcus brought me back home where my family was waiting. I usually go to bed at 8:30, but we didn’t get home until 9:15! Then Marcus came in and asked if it would be all right if he and I kicked the ball around the front yard for a while. So, in the dark, my hero and I kicked the ball around for a while and talked some more. My little brother and sister even played in their pajamas! I didn’t go to bed until 10 pm and really didn’t get much sleep because I was so excited. My Mom was really happy for me, and my Dad, too. The next night I went to Marcus’ game and was a ball boy. It was Senior Night and when Marcus’ name was called we all cheered really loudly. The last question on my questionnaire to Marcus was: “I am one of your biggest fans and hope to be like you when I get older. Any advice for kids on how to succeed?’ He answered, “It’s important to have good character and be confident with yourself because you’ll then find good friends who will want to help and support you. After you form this concrete personality and become confident with your friends, family (and whatever else you may greatly value, for me, it’s church) you’ll be able to do whatever you want to do and enjoy it. Remember to always be respectful and humble because you owe your success to many more people than yourself.’ My Mom said if I turn out half as great a young man as Marcus, she did something right. That’s my story of my hero, Marcus Tracy. The thing is, he’s not only my hero, he’s now my friend, and that is way cooler.” - Christian Mather, fourth-grader at Middle Gate School (excerpts from his Reflections report)