sports, dating, meeting new people, catching lightning bugs, playing with my dog, playing with my phone....it's practically glued to my hand, hanging out with my brothers byron and boyd.....and haley!!!! I love sharing my new lady killers with ray and eric they know what im talking about. i love hangin out with the trammell twins trying to catch those damn cats!
I'd like to meet:
everybody
Heroes:
By Jim Rayburn Deseret Morning NewsWhen I watched Provo High's Travis Ayoso pitch last week against Springville, I saw a different person than the small, thin kid that played last season as a sophomore. I don't know if he'll ever have the same stalky frame as his brother Bryce, but he has clearly gained weight, put on muscle and is much stronger this year. He told me later that he's added more than 30 pounds, partly by natural maturation and partly because of weight training. He's up to a whopping 160 pounds. In striking out 11 Red Devils and only allowing three hits that day to the state's top-ranked team, Ayoso was throwing much harder than I've ever seen. His breaking pitch was down-right wicked that day — just ask the Springville hitters who were swatting at it like a drunk trying to swat a house fly. But there was something different about Ayoso than just the physical changes. I couldn't put my finger on it, but he just seemed much more mature, confident and determined. A few days later, I learned why. He was pitching with a purpose. He was pitching for someone other than his teammates. He was pitching for one of his best friends, who wasn't at the game but lying in a hospital bed, a few miles away in a coma. He was pitching after experiencing perhaps the most traumatic event of his life just a few days earlier. He was pitching with a new perspective on life. He was pitching with a new appreciation for every opportunity that high school sports afford. He was pitching with a greater appreciation for the relationships gained through athletics. The weekend before, on April 16, Ayoso and three buddies took a spring-break trip down south. They ended up at Sand Hollow reservoir, near Hurricane, where they engaged in some cliff diving. They were jumping from about 15 feet high. Ayoso had just dove into the cold water and was coming onto shore when he noticed concern on the faces of two of his other friends. He then saw the third, Ben Stout, floating face down in the water behind him. Stout, who was recovering from a broken ankle, was on the cliff behind Ayoso and had apparently changed his mind about jumping after Ayoso leaped into the water. However, he slipped while back tracking off the cliff, fell the 15 feet and hit his head on a rock near the water and rolled into the lake. After noticing Stout in the water, Ayoso pulled his friend to shore, on the same rock that he had just landed on, and saw that he was breathing but unconscious. Stout's wrist was badly broken, he had a huge cut near his eye and was bleeding from his ears. "I didn't even know if he was going to live or not," Ayoso said. Ayoso and his friends summoned a passing boat. Soon, park rangers arrived and an ambulance was there about 20 minutes later to transport Stout to a St. George hospital. A short time later he was flown by medical helicopter to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. On the mound, three days later, Ayoso dedicated the game to his buddy. Even though the Bulldogs lost to the Red Devils 2-0, Ayoso's performance was impressive — the best of his young career. "He has always been there watching me play and cheering me on. He has always been there to work with me and help me with my pitching, so I was pitching for him. I knew he was there with me that day," Ayoso said. The good news is Stout regained consciousness last weekend, was moved out of the intensive care unit and is expected to recover. The lasting effects of his injuries are not known at this time. Still, the accident will have a lasting effect on Ayoso and his outlook on baseball — and life. "Baseball is just a game," he said. "But there are a lot of lessons to be learned along the way and a lot of friendships to be made. That's what matters to me now. That's why I play."..
