I try to keep my praise for my brother at a minimum, for obvious reasons. It’s not that I don’t appreciate where he is now, I’m actually quite proud of him. Really it’s that I don’t want to feel like I’m pushing him on anyone, or trying to make myself look better by having a brother who plays Rugby for Canada. For the most part I let Aaron speak for himself, he’s used to it now after all of the interviews. I tend to make my tributes in different ways, such as starting a wikipedia page for him, the Brantford Harlequins, and other Rugby Union pages.
This time it’s different, I can’t help but make note of how happy I am to see him playing in the Rugby Union World Cup. Canada may have dropped their first two games so far, but we, as a family, don’t care. Aaron has made his dream come true, he’s playing in the biggest sporting event there is for the sport of his choice. There has been ups and downs, just like any journey, but he has reached the goal.
I guess you can’t help but feel proud when you get quotes like the following from Rugby Canada News] (even though the try was called back… it’s still a good quote):
“At 68 minutes Aaron Carpenter entered the game at number eight and immediately began to demonstrate the meaning of the term impact sub.
As sooner as Carpenter arrived on the field, he picked up from the base of a scrum and tore 45-metres down the pitch. When he went to ground, Canada recycled the ball and spread it wide right where incoming fullback Mike Pyke took the ball and went over the line.”
My wife was telling me a story last night about her sister, who teaches a grade eight public school class. She has two students who love Rugby, and can’t wait to get into high school where they can begin to play on a team. She asked the two of them if they knew who Aaron was and, of course, was greeted with glowing eyes and a thorough description. Now that she had their attention she mentioned that Aaron was her brother-in-law and was rewarded with two gaping jaws.
This story made me realize how important Aaron really is. Not just to his family, but the entire community. We have a generation of young players who are looking up to him and watching his every move. I can’t even imagine the responsibility or the weight that must carry on a person, but I do believe that he does all of us, including the community, proud.
Aaron, keep up the good work!
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