By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
Equipment for the Otsego High School tennis teams—such ball carts, ball machines, nets and scorecards—has been stored in a shared locker room in the high school.
Simon Pobocik, a member of the boys tennis team, knows first-hand this isn’t the most convenient location for the equipment.
“The locker room is a good distance away from the courts on which we play,” he said.
So, Pobocik decided to do something about it.
In need of a community-service project to help him earn Eagle Scout status, Pobocik decided to build a storage shed near the tennis courts to store the equipment.
Pobocik spent the first several days of his summer vacation constructing the 8-foot-x-12-foot unit.
“Having the equipment in a closer location will make it so we can get to practicing much quicker and it will allow for more time towards the end of practice to actually practicing instead of wheeling the carts and other equipment back to the locker room,” he said. “(That’s how) I landed on building a shed close to the tennis courts.”
The community-service project was the final step Pobocik needed to take in order to become an Eagle Scout.
“This project is the last step in an extremely long and challenging journey,” he said. “I have been a scout since the first grade and have learned many amazing things along the way. Completing this project will be the biggest accomplishment thus far throughout my scouting experience.”
The only stipulation for the project was that it had to benefit the community.
Once he came up with the idea of building the storage shed, Pobocik talked with OHS officials and received approval from the scouts to move ahead with the project.
According to Pobocik, his time in scouts has taught him many valuable lessons. That includes leadership, problem-solving, decision-making and communication.
He said being an Eagle Scout is more than just a rank or a way of identification.
“It means living by a code of honor, providing service to those in need, making responsible decisions and owning up to your mistakes,” he said. “It’s about being a friendly face and a helpful person, and most importantly doing the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do.
“That’s what being an Eagle Scout means to me.”
While the project was Pobocik’s brainchild and he is the one doing the bulk of the work, he made it clear that he couldn’t have done it without help.
“I have had a massive amount of help from family, friends, local businesses, community members and the school to make this project possible,” he said. “Without their help, this project wouldn’t have been possible.”
