JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================v" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?A `{"9ؕ0N3޴jz-&FL8$gsJNLS/-([іlScҝӼVR+%'L'Pr}Lǚz. 9+j9b:69#U=*0=(@B3gi.#5`[iXQ(Uf$03֬lWO3W7/=QT;mTsYcnE ^dUNSc\*;rvr*h&rnII]-B["[ڃʖ^3AdetuYA$v5z}P5anSA:cM[c#[;ByFV߉T=E6nR#w/]'I2"6T7)բY%Hbn[#*Ztq*Œ0ªs^a$P+ץZҴ;M%1r095G+kSTF5Μ]x> J WSpK}$P0:SH.3hcjo yoNFjn#rJx4P:8&1,! 1\ 3 Vۙ3U7ukՀ]f ӨjMnV+JrzUIm弁q7%PC7!nb?(Q޻e6V9cP=aihpt!x_Ol*ؙ+=K :P0z1v=r#laRG"#g#Pj)6 EsW[F:`UŘk&@QlJѱ$G ~Ql|}F8F<~ﴞ!Z<8$x'Q\=@9WK!:+2-E*Bg c#[`(`9'nj"oG!q'?Pcws3^²nmɂWxS|dְ!"h؏,EHQYqɷ8qڬ8Fֻr&CBKў&C剷ܧkCLtZD vˆG# 1^uwzAs# Tۘ6%,yv~3s csEF_0''Ӷptxdh5'aIC8#NU<מOLݨf.b.`>!2B(A) s S+^O遙E3<3qNUmhضB2)ǡ:ZuSSd2>rNJ3B1M_Ƒa`Wծ&$Ol֊MrFI|\]5|.?x84jWNNJR1J*KA>Ƙ^MBq֚qz3U@SqОb䞔QQ}p9,Niq;E1]Unhd1Ev鑪d`&=(d5j9(`؅ʒ;Phx2F\ֶ)6Kp袾r=_CUcyU0 hI!(Tom. You and I both know that it s his loss. You re a good, strong football player. Just keep plugging away at the weights. If he keeps you off the field because of your lack in size, then he s a jerk! No matter how upset Grandpa ever got, he would never let his grandchildren hear him curse. But it was his words, day after day that kept me going.<br>Grandpa Mario s words of confidence are what kept me going all these years and got me to where I am today. I remember wanting to quit football in the eighth grade because I was sick of fighing and doing everything within my power for a starting position with nothing to show for my year-round hard work and efforts. It had sucked all of my love for football out of me. When Grandpa Mario found out about this he called and sad,  Hang in there Tommy boy. Don t let him get the best of you. I always looked up to my Grandpa and I did not want to let him down. <br>So here I am today, four years later. I am now a senior at Plainview Old-Bethpage JFK High School. I m 5 11 , 205 pounds and the captain of the varsity football, lacrosse, and weight lifting teams. I was voted best athlete in the school by my classmates. I received All-Conference honors in football, was invited to play in the  Long Island Exceptional Senior Game on Thanksgiving Day and was nominated for the BFS High School All-American Team. I owe it all to my Grandpa Mario.<br>If it were not for my Grandpa Mario keeping me in the sport and reminding me of my love for football, I know not where I would be today. He not only taught me how to overcome adversity on the field, but in the classroom as well.<br>I always struggled with my grades growing up but my friends and family did not know why. Finally, when I was in the tenth grade, I wa