Keepin' an eye on Ehlers...

If one were to make a list of attributes that make a guy tough, Bryce Ehlers has a pretty good start.

1)  Middle Linebacker

2) Catcher

If you're THOSE two things, it's a pretty safe bet that your man card has been been punched and given a lifetime membership.

So it should come as no surprise that when I asked Bryce which position was his favorite when he donned the Gladbrook-Reinbeck blue and silver... he paused, thought long and hard... and then paused some more.

I wanted to know which sport to highlight the most on his collage he was requesting, and while he eventually gave an ever-so-slight lean towards the gridiron over the diamond, I could tell he was torn.

The solution?   Take our dual-masked man and morph them into one.

Not surprisingly, Bryce seemed stoked about the prospects of his photographer morphing the two things he loved the most into some athletic frankenstein hybrid butt kicker.   I knew it was gonna be alot more photoshop time that just allowing his lukewarm lean towards football carry the day and plopping his #52 in the middle, so the challenge was on, and I wasn't about to let him down.

Despite the fact that Bryce insisted on wearing that Green Bay Packers shirt for his session, I decided to look place his misled allegiance and try to bend over backwards for our Rebel tough guy.

In all seriousness, it was easy going overboard for a kid like Bryce.  Even though he plays positions usually reserved for the biggest B.A. on the team, he couldn't have been more polite, conversational and he even was chomping at the bit to try to help me around every corner to make my job easier.   Holding the door for me... helping with the backdrops... the kid just gets it... so a tip of the cap to Mama Val and Papa Dave.   Someone got something very right with this one.

About mid way through the session, however, I noticed Bryce was doing something that I usually deem unacceptable at a senior experience at Stewart Photography...

Yawning.

When I then started to razz Bryce about it, he told me he had a excuse.

"I baled hay all day yesterday."

Why am I not surprised?

Keep in mind heat indexes were in the triple digits and photoshop has removed the "evidence" that was all over Mr. Ehlers' forearms from the brutal day's work.

I had no choice to make an exception this time for our linebacker/catcher/haybaler.   Dude works at it and doesn't cut corners... he's entitled to a yawn now and then.

That being said, I also learned that Bryce has a sense of humor.

He and I and his mom got into a deep discussion about life and it eventually turned to them asking about how I got into photography, and, per usual, I then asked Bryce what his plans were.  I framed the question with the caveat that if he could do ANYTHING... and was all-powerful and could snap his fingers and be doing it tomorrow as a profession regardless of cost of schooling and regardless of potential income... what would it be?

"NFL," Bryce deadpanned.

"And if that doesn't work out, the MLB."

From the beginning of the session, until the end... still torn between football and baseball.

How fitting.