David Harrison: Life leading up to the VHL [1/2]

[Lightningyamasha 9]

David Harrison: Life leading up to the VHL

David Harrison

 

David Harrison is a play making centerman looking to make a splash in the VHL. As of this writing, he is trying to make a name for himself in the VHLM, however; this is only the first step on his journey to becoming a champion. His career has only just begun but now we will see what brought him on his current path. We will go back to the beginning.

 

Early Life

David was born in south Florida of the United States, far away from any VHL market. His family’s economic standing could be described as middle-middle-class. His father was the head chef at a local family owned restaurant with dreams of owning his own restaurant someday. Dad’s second passion was for sports. David and his dad would watch nearly every game of every local team together. While his father loved football, David had a growing love for hockey watching the New York Americans. Unfortunately for David, New York was far far away, so attending a game seemed like an impossibility. That would change soon, more on that later. In addition to spectating, David also enjoyed getting in the game as well. There weren't many options for ice hockey in his area, instead he would practice with a stick and ball in the street. He played in various youth leagues playing Baseball, Football, and Soccer, but it wasn’t enough. His dad always pushed him to be the best he could be. And he wanted to be the best. David became known in his youth league circles for being an extremely hard worker. He was considered one of the best young players in almost every sport he played. Even with this success and high hopes from his peers, coaches, and parents, he still had a yearning for hockey. David was an athlete, he needed to sate his desire to play on the ice with a stick in his hand and skates on his feet. He would finally get his chance when his dad came home one day and told the family they were moving to New York.

Change of Scenery

David’s father got an offer from a wealthy patron one day to come work for him at his restaurant up in New York. With this came a massive pay raise and a new city to call home. David didn’t take it well at first. Going from a place where any temperature under 50 degrees Fahrenheit would be considered apocalyptic, to a place that regularly went below and beyond can be quite shocking. David was around 13 at this time. For his first birthday in New York his parents surprised him with tickets for the next Americans home game. David was so ecstatic he nearly broke into tears. That game changed his life. The atmosphere of the arena gave him a greater feeling than he could ever imagined. He went from loving and appreciating the game, to wanting to live it. To be able to breath in that atmosphere from the ice would become his new goal in life. His first greatest wish had been fulfilled , and now a larger desire took its place. After much begging he finally got an opportunity get started on his new dream. For Christmas that year he received the most magnificent gift of all: a new pair of skates, a stick, and a puck. David trained his ass off every day at the local rink. In a few months he would be in high school, and he knew he had to tryout for the team. He was behind though. David hadn’t started playing hockey from the womb like most VHL stars. Really starting to play and practice many years after most of the kids he would be competing against. So he just put his nose to the grindstone and drilled himself for hours a day for several days at a time. Even when he failed to make the team in his first year, he was not deterred. After showing everyone how dominant he could be in the youth league, he was ready for tougher competition. He pushed himself even harder. He would not be denied his dreams. He finally made the team in his sophomore year.

 

Learning to Fly

In high school, he learned how be a team player and how to not be selfish with the puck. David found he had a knack for setting up his teammates, recording the most assists on his team during his first season, which ended sooner than he would have liked. He really broke out during his junior year when he started figuring out how to beat goalies more consistently, scoring goals left and right. David became a point scoring machine. He absolutely dominated the season in points and lead his team to the state championships where he suffered a season ending injury when he was smashed into the boards a little harder than he was used to. His team’s upstate rivals finally put a stop to their run. David wasn’t finished. He refused to take no for an answer. After he recovered he went back to the rink to train. He had gained a lot of respect from his coach and teammates. He was named captain in his senior year, and he was more determined than ever. Again he blew past the competition. This time he would not be denied as he carried his team to the state championship once again, and it was his time to be on top. His championship winning goal locked him in as a legend at his school.

 

Harrison deking before scoring the Championship winning goal

 

Decisions, Decisions

After high school, David had a major decision to make: accept one of the many hockey scholarships to some of the best schools around, or accept one of the few VHLM offers that he was given. David just couldn’t refuse a chance to achieve his biggest dream in life. In the end a chance at the VHL was greater than any other offer on the table so he took it. Just after his 18th birthday he accepted a VHLM offer and began starting right away. He has a promising life and career ahead of him. Only time will team if the hockey gods will smile upon him.

 

[johnnyhockey42 13]

I like that David is a team-oriented player.  What makes him good is that he knows when to be flashy with the puck and when not to be.

Also, I really enjoyed learning about his introduction of moving to New York.  That can make or break a player's motivation, I'm glad David saw it as a learning experience and stuck with the sport!  Awesome that he signed to the VHLM on his 18th birthday, too.

[DMaximus 1,045]

Review: Great job laying out the stages of David's life in the article. It's a great backstory on how David got into hockey and some of the motivation and drivers of his success . I also enjoyed how you brought up the difficult decision he faced when deciding to join the VHLM at 18 years old. Nice job on the biography!