Featured Athlete: Gabe Smith

Ninja Jedi Smith

Gabe Smith impresses Ninja Jedi masters with his skills / Staff Photographer

We have many greats among us, and maybe some that will go professional. Our athletes are all very talented and have great sportsmanship, but one stands out. This person, renowned for their particular skills in reflexes, is Gabe Smith.

Gabe Smith began to develop his exceptional reflexes at a young age. Smith was constantly toyed with by his friends on his home island of Waldron, so he quickly started to react in time to deflect anything coming near him peripherally. “That’s when I began to realize my full potential for my reflexes,” Smith recalled. A fitting comparison for the extent of his reflexes would be the famed videos of cats eating food while their human places a cucumber on the floor. The cat turns around and sees said cucumber and jumps sky-high because they’re startled. That is uncannily accurate to the reflexes of Gabe Smith. This guy is so good he reacts faster than a gazelle running from a cheetah.

Once Smith started high school at Orcas Island High School, he knew things were going to change. “It was a new opportunity for me to broaden my horizons, maybe even get noticed by a college team. I hope to make a career of it someday,” Smith wistfully stated. And boy, did he get noticed.

Smith’s journey from a mere amateur has quickly accelerated to receiving non-stop letters, emails, text-messages, calls, faxes, packages, pages, random stops on the street, autographs, taps on the shoulder, awakenings from bed and summons by candlelight. He has become one of the most popular guys in reflexes almost overnight. How did he get all this fame so suddenly? People began noticing and contacting college coaches, asking them to come to OHS to scope him out on the down-low. Eventually, this reporter got the scoop, and his rags-to-riches story came to light. Soon, the whole country will know about Smith and his reflexes. “I just feel very thankful for all that everyone has done for me,” Smith said. “My fans have been here for me since day one. Thank you for all your support.”

Smith is still receiving offers, but wants to wait until he is older to pursue anything serious. “I’m still young, so I really want to experience all that life has to offer before I fully commit to furthering my reflexes,” Smith expressed in our exclusive interview.

The question is, what will happen to the talented Gabe Smith after high school? Will he take up a career with his reflexes? Will he go to college and compete on a team? The world will have to wait and see.