As a 10 year old, junior Nick Wyrick could walk through the hallways of Tomek-Eastern Elementary knowing no one would mess with him. He was the tallest boy in the school, and while his height made him feel like he had an advantage in fourth grade, however as he grew taller and became older, he encountered more difficulties.

Currently standing at six feet eight inches tall, with size 18 feet, Wyrick faces some disadvantages. Fitting through some door ways can be a struggle and so can finding shoes that fit and clothes that are long enough. Usually Wyrick’s mother has to order his shoes online, which costs extra money. Also, he says that constantly being asked “How big are your feet?” and “How’s the weather up there?” can get pretty frustrating.

Although at times being four inches shy of seven feet tall is annoying, there are some perks. Wyrick started playing basketball as an eighth grader simply because his friend forced him to and it stuck with him. When he got into high school, he made the varsity basketball team, as a freshman.

Thinking he wasn’t going to make any team at all, Wyrick was surprised hearing he would be playing with juniors and seniors. It was weird for him at first, but he started getting more comfortable on the team as he got older.

Luckily, Wyricks height will helo him pursue a goal of his, which is to play basketball in college.