Jaguar Profile: Shakur Watson

By: Janese Watson

            There are some people who constantly work hard. There are some people who always get the spotlight and some that almost never do. Then there are people who never get noticed, but who keep working hard. Those are the people who don’t need an audience or crowd to show off for; they simply improve themselves when no one is watching. Hard working people become more successful in the end. All it takes is not giving up.

            Shakur Watson, a junior at Seckman High School, believes in hard work. From day one he has always enjoyed sports. He has always been very athletic, determined, and, if there was something he wanted to achieve, he would. Shakur started off playing baseball. Baseball was what he wanted to do in the future and he knew he could. He worked everyday to improve his skills and eventually made his way to the top. His eighth grade year he began assisting umpires at the Fenton baseball fields. Everyone knew Shakur was different from the rest because he started everything at such a young age. By the time he was a freshman in high school, Shakur was fully umpping baseball games and getting paid. “I knew that would be good for me,” said Shakur. Everything was going well for him just in time to start his four years of high school.

            Shakur’s emotions started changing toward baseball as he got in high school because he was introduced to wrestling. At first, Shakur believed that wrestling was more of an aggressive sport and you wrestle only when you’re mad. He has never been an aggressive person and he never liked fighting, so he second guessed the wrestling life. After a few practices though, he ended up liking it. He tried out and made the junior varsity team. “My goal was to walk in my brother’s footsteps,” Shakur says. Shakur’s brother, Trey, won every match but two of his high school career. Shakur wanted to be just as good, maybe even better. He wanted to prove to Trey that he has what it takes.

            As time went by, wrestling got a lot more serious in Shakur’s life. His family and friends went to every match to support him. He started winning every match and before you knew it he was on varsity. Shakur kept wrestling close to his heart because he knew that is what he wanted and he knew he could go somewhere with wrestling. “He’s always improving, sometimes I have to tell him to chill out,” says Trey. Being a determined athlete will get you far.

            It wasn’t until Shakur broke his leg while playing football that things went to dust. He was rushed to the hospital and told that he may never get to wrestle, or play any sport, again. He was stuck in the hospital for three weeks and told that when he was released he would be in a wheel chair for three months and on crutches for two months. Throughout that process he would have to go to a specialist to relearn how to use his leg. Shakur, being the hard worker he is, didn’t give up. Every day he strengthened his leg to try to recover faster. The doctors swore it wasn’t possible, but he didn’t listen. Shakur missed out on varsity, homecoming, his aunt’s wedding. He didn’t give up though. Shakur ended up being in a wheelchair for a month and crutches for three weeks. He not only proved the doctors wrong, but proved everyone that doubted him wrong too. Things will happen if you put fourth the effort and hard work to make it happen. Shakur is back wrestling on varsity and plans to keep it up for his future. Hard work really does pay off.