Thursday, November 16, 2017

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: NEFTALI GOMEZ

By TUCKER CERGOL

Throughout the halls of Washingtonville High School, there are numerous stories that many people might believe to be fairy tales.  Every single person has a story that is unique.  Perhaps one of the most intriguing stories at WHS belongs to a senior named Neftali Gomez.

Nef values a healthy lifestyle more than your average teenage boy.  He is considered to be a role model due to his willpower to always make the right choices even when he is hanging out with friends.  When it comes to nutrition, Neftali always makes sure to consume only what benefits him and his body, even if the people he surrounds himself with are not doing the same.

TUCKER CERGOL FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY
It is no wonder that with Nef’s disciplined attitude he is also an impressive athlete.   In the past, he was an avid football player and wrestler.   In his junior year, he played football for  the Wizards.  Due to injury, he was unable to participate in these sports, yet he was hopeful that he would, once again, return to perform well during his senior year.  Unfortunately, this would not be the case.  In the middle of his junior year, his football career ended due to a tragic occurrence.

On September 7th, 2016, Nef’s mother passed away at the age of 51 from a stroke that happened due to a traumatic brain injury.  Although Neftali was hurt more than anyone else, this tragedy was heartbreaking to so many people, as the death of his mother had an effect on the entire community of Washingtonville.  His mom was an active part of the football program and helped raise money for the Wizards.  She was well-known and loved by many people.  To show support for Nef, the entire football team travelled to New York City for his mother’s wake, which was a very emotional time for everyone in attendance.

Not long after the shocking and unfortunate passing, Nef was pulled from the football team and was also ordered to stop competing in wrestling.  When asked why this was the case, he explained, “I had a prior history of concussions, and in the beginning of my junior year of football I had gotten my third concussion.  I decided to stop playing football, to protect myself and my future.  Also, it was a little scary considering my mom had just died from a brain injury.  Afterwards, I dedicated everything I could towards wrestling until I suffered my fourth concussion which also made me lose consciousness.  After this, I decided to stop all contact sports completely.”

With his wrestling career being over, he was offered a job from Coach Lee, the head coach of the wrestling team, to become the strength and conditioning coach.  He emphasized how much he values this dignified position and knows that this is only offered to special people.  “I earned this.  I always prided myself on being the hardest working person out there.  After my last concussion, I decided to dedicate the entirety of my time to working out.  I was always lifting, but this time I built a program, a way of eating and so on.  Before I knew it, I had reached new heights when it came to my weight and strength.”  

Coach Lee has always been in Neftali’s corner.  Nef expressed, “Once I explained to Coach Lee what I was doing, and we both knew the direction the program was going, he presented me with a challenge: coming up with 10-15 different 30 minute workouts for the team.  After I completed that, he offered me the job as strength and conditioning coach and I couldn’t have been more happy to accept that responsibility.”

It is obvious that Nef has come a long way over the past year.  With the support of his family, friends, coaches, teammates, and others, everyone expects him to continue to thrive and have a completely successful life.  Neftali’s story is unique and miraculous.  It is truly unbelievable to see how far he has come.   The future holds nothing but incredible things for such a remarkable individual.

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