Meet West Ottawa athlete Brooke Pederson’s biggest fan
HOLLAND, Mich. — The countdown to the start of my basketball game is under six minutes. No sign of my parents. But I am smiling; my grandfather is where I expect him—top row near mid court.
James Stull is 83 and has four kids, 12 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Many of his grandkids played sports in high school and even college. Four of his grandkids, including myself, attended WOHS, where he has watched countless hours of athletics.
My brothers (Drew and Blake) played basketball, soccer, football, and baseball. My sister (Grace) and I played volleyball, basketball, and soccer. With help from my mom and other adults, my grandpa has watched almost all of our games. His favorite sport to watch by far is basketball, but he loves to watch all sports, especially when his grandchildren are playing. “My favorite memory was the boys’ state final game at Michigan State,” Stull said, “because there were a lot of people there and both of my grandsons got to play in the game.”
My grandpa lost his wife, Gloria, in January 2005. Since then he has been living on his own and rarely gets out. My mother makes it possible for my grandpa to attend almost all of our games. Often going to our games is one of the only times he gets to leave his living center and communicate with other people. “My dad used to always ask to come to the games,” Sara Pedersen said, “but as his cognition has gotten worse, I just go get him—and he is always excited to go.”
My grandpa is one of the sweetest people I know, and he is known for being in the stands at any WO sporting event. Often one of my teammates will say to me during a game, “Your grandpa is so cute over there watching you.” They also notice when he is not at certain games because his attendance at all sporting events has become routine. If he’s not at a game, people ask my mom, “No Grandpa today?” or “Where is Grandpa Stull?”
Not everyone has a grandparent as loving and supportive as I have. Some grandparents can make their grandkids feel like they played poorly after their sporting events, but that has never been the case with my grandpa. He will always walk up to me, my siblings, and other teammates with a smile on his face and compliment how well we all did.
No matter the temperature, the weather, or the opponent, my grandpa is a true WO fan. We are lucky to have such a kind man be such a great supporter, and we are grateful for the joy he brings to every sporting event. So thank you, Grandpa, for being not only my biggest fan, but also West Ottawa’s.
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