Meet West Ottawa athlete Brooke Pederson鈥檚 biggest fan
HOLLAND, Mich. — The countdown to the start of my basketball game is under six minutes. No sign of my parents. But I am smiling; my grandfather is where I expect him鈥攖op row near mid court.
James Stull is 83 and has four kids, 12 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Many of his grandkids played sports in high school and even college. Four of his grandkids, including myself, attended WOHS, where he has watched countless hours of athletics.
My brothers (Drew and Blake) played basketball, soccer, football, and baseball.聽My sister (Grace) and I played volleyball, basketball, and soccer. With help from my mom and other adults, my grandpa has watched almost all of our games. His favorite sport to watch by far is basketball, but he loves to watch all sports, especially when his grandchildren are playing.聽鈥淢y favorite memory was the boys鈥� state final game at Michigan State,鈥� Stull said, 鈥渂ecause there were a lot of people there and both of my grandsons got to play in the game.鈥�
My grandpa lost his wife, Gloria, in January 2005. Since then he has been living on his own and rarely gets out. My mother makes it possible for my grandpa to attend almost all of our games. Often going to our games is one of the only times he gets to leave his living center and communicate with other people.聽鈥淢y dad used to always ask to come to the games,鈥� Sara Pedersen said, 鈥渂ut as his cognition has gotten worse, I just go get him鈥攁nd he is always excited to go.鈥�
My grandpa is one of the sweetest people I know, and he is known for being in the stands at any WO sporting event. Often one of my teammates will say to me during a game, 鈥淵our grandpa is so cute over there watching you.鈥� They also notice when he is not at certain games because his attendance at all sporting events has become routine. If he鈥檚 not at a game, people ask my mom, 鈥淣o Grandpa today?鈥� or 鈥淲here is Grandpa Stull?鈥�
Not everyone has a grandparent as loving and supportive as I have. Some grandparents can make their grandkids feel like they played poorly after their sporting events, but that has never been the case with my grandpa. He will always walk up to me, my siblings, and other teammates with a smile on his face and compliment how well we all did.
No matter the temperature, the weather, or the opponent, my grandpa is a true WO fan.聽We are lucky to have such a kind man be such a great supporter, and we are grateful for the joy he brings to every sporting event. So thank you, Grandpa, for being not only my biggest fan, but also West Ottawa鈥檚.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.