Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Chris Williamson: The Pursuit of a Dream

By Ben Glidden

Chris Williamson is a typical Syracuse University student. Williamson, 19, is a rising sophomore as a Broadcast and Digital Journalism major in the Newhouse School of Public Communications. He likes to read, hang out with friends and he even writes for a sports blog about golf, basketball and football.

But one thing sets Chris apart. When he isn’t writing, hanging with friends, or reading, Chris is working hard to reach a goal that not many Syracuse students have the talent to reach.

“My goal is to make the [Syracuse Football] team,” Williamson said.

Williamson not only wants to make the team but he wants to contribute. He said he doesn’t want to be “some walk-on who enjoys just being on the team.” Williamson wants to play.

“C-Dub,” as his friends call him, tried out for the team last fall. After a few days of conditioning, the Orange coaching staff told Chris he needed to get stronger and faster and to come back in the spring.

The journey began there.

From that point on, Chris worked day and night to become strong and fast enough to make the squad. But in the spring, a major obstacle stood in his way.

“I didn't try out during spring semester because I got pneumonia over break so when tryouts started I was in no shape to tryout,” Williamson said.

Chris runs four times a week and follows the workout plan that his high school linebacker coach wrote out for him. He is trying to improve his 40-yard dash and is on a high-calorie diet to build muscle. When the time for a tryout comes, he will be ready.

“I want this really bad,” he said. “I'm going to shock my future teammates because they don't want it as bad as I do.”

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