Antioch, Illinois — We got here to Antioch Neighborhood Excessive College close to Chicago to fulfill the file holder — the undisputed champion — of exhibiting up.
Ninety-one-year-old superfan Steve Younger hasn't missed a single Antioch soccer sport since 1946 — not even the summer time he acquired in a visitors accident in a thunderstorm.
"I had 11 damaged bones, punctured left lung and whereas I used to be laying on the stretcher, I acquired hit by lightning. Knocked me off the stretcher," he stated. "They acquired me within the hospital and one physician says, 'He is not going to make it.' And I stated, 'You guys do not know what you are speaking about. I've acquired a sport to go to!'"
And certain sufficient, a number of weeks later he was on the season opener.
But it surely's not simply soccer. Younger has additionally been to nearly each basketball sport, softball sport and volleyball match. He goes to tennis matches, golf matches and even bowling tournaments. He's omnipresent at greater than 20 sports activities, plus performs and concert events.
We talked to college students and former college students throughout three generations. They stated Younger was at their dwelling and away video games "it doesn't matter what."
"Each single one, he is at all times there," one stated.
"For some athletes, it is possibly the one individual they've on the sport," one other stated.
Younger says that is true as a result of the youngsters have instructed him so.
"I've had youngsters come up and say, 'My dad and mom by no means present up for something,'" he stated. "It sort of hits dwelling."
And it is a massive cause why he does it.
As a thanks for his 76 years of affection and help, the varsity lately made Younger grand marshal of the homecoming parade and honored him at a sport, the place all that cheering he'd accomplished for others lastly echoed again.
The resounding message was that generally an important factor you are able to do for a kid is simply be there, it doesn't matter what.
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