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OTSELIC – The 2017 Athlete of the Week starts on a somber note as The Evening Sun would like to honor the late Carter Rood, the Otselic Valley Vikings Sophomore Goalie. Carter passed away unexpectedly in the early hours on Monday, September 11.

Carter Rood would never be without a smile on his face whether it be in the halls of school, on the court, and in the field. His infectious sense of humor kept his teachers, coaches, teammates and classmates always on their toes. Carter would always find a way to be hilarious, no matter how inappropriate his timing was.

Rood was an all-around athlete as he could also be found on the hardwood in the winter season and on the diamond in the spring. In the sports world, Carter could be found in front of the net for the varsity soccer team for the Vikings, playing his second season. In his first stint as a varsity athlete, Carter stood out as an aggressive goalie who would never be afraid to do what was needed to keep the ball out of the net.

“His quick hands in the goal were undeniably fast and ahead of his time as a sophomore and second-year goalie. His commitment to the position gave his team confidence,” said Vikings head coach Jake Preston. “He was a pleasure to have on my team and in my classroom. I will miss him and the fun way he approached life.”

If Carter was in om the play during the contest, you could always count on him giving his best effort. On the bench, he would be encouraging his teams to give it their all. All of Carter's coaches were able to count on him being at every practice. He was described by all of them as one of the most coachable kids they have ever had, as he would never be discouraged from the advice they game him.

Rood was one of the helping kind, as he would show up early with the equipment, stay late to clean up, and on the weekends as he would help with dugout and field maintenance for baseball.

“He [Carter] also helped us on our farm many times and we'll miss that too,” said Rood's modified basketball coach Dave Loomis.

“Like everyone else who he has ever known, I will cry knowing he won’t be there,” said Carter's modified baseball coach Eric Wentworth. “I will miss Carter. I will miss hearing “Hey Went,” every time he was within earshot of me. Much like I imagine he is right now, I will smile for having the opportunity to know him.”

Vikings JV basketball and Varsity baseball head coach Anthony Zaia said, “Carter was one of those kids that you knew had all the tools to be something special and you just enjoyed watching as he grew into that player. Coaching Carter has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life, and he will be missed immensely.”

He will be honored during the season by his fellow soccer team members at OV, with a patch placed on the arm of their soccer jerseys labeled “CR #30”.