There’s a lot of beauty in high school rivalries, but even more beauty in good sportsmanship that comes from those hearty competitions.

I grew up living life in black and orange, which meant those in green and white were our biggest competition–especially in hockey. The Greenway Raiders were good–very good–when I was in high school. In fact, I don’t believe that Grand Rapids had beaten Greenway in the fours years I was in high school…so it is safe to say that the rivalry was pretty well set in.

Our schools were only six miles apart–these were the kids with whom we worked, shopped, danced, and, for some, dated. It is safe to assume that this rivalry, then, did not stop many of us for consistently cheering for them.

That’s what made it so easy to cheer for this young man and his team this past hockey season. Aksel served as one of the captains on a hockey team that came thisclose to advancing to the Minnesota State High School League Boys’ Hockey State Tournament. Ultimately defeated, it wasn’t just those in green that were feeling all the feels; no, the pain seeped across the Midway and found many of in Thunderhawk territory bummed, too.

There were lots of feels for Askel during his senior year, and there is no doubt that he lived in every single one of them as long as he could. Aksel is one of the most balanced young men that have ever walked the hallowed halls of any high school; he exuded confidence, but while being kind and modest at the exact same time (for example, he claimed that he wasn’t a model, not in any way whatsoever, but then he has a session like this, which clearly tells a different story). As a multi-sport athlete, he spreads his time across multiple commitments, but is there for his team and his friends (and his amazing family).

Athletic, altruistic, and ambitious…that is Aksel, Class of 2018.