By Dawn Goodman
Staff Writer
dgoodman@observer-reporter.com
A former Navy SEAL used his basketball skills to get the attention of Washington High School students Thursday so he could send them a motivational message.
Charlie Aeschliman, who has won Nike’s national basketball handling championship, showed off those skills during his speech in the high school gymnasium.
At one point, he balanced a spinning basketball on the end of a spoon while he fed pudding to a student. At another time, he performed pushups while spinning a basketball on his thumb.
After he had their attention, Aeschliman told the students that many people told him he would never make it through SEAL training since its the toughest training in the world.
“With a lot of hard work, good decisions and perseverance, those things helped me graduate at the top of the class,” he said.
Everyone has obstacles and people who tell them they can’t make it, he said.
“You know what? Prove them wrong,” he said. “What matters is what you believe you can become not what other people say you are.”
Aeschliman said money and good looks won’t guarantee success. And people don’t achieve by luck, he said. What matters is character, Aeschliman told the students.
“It doesn’t matter where you start,” he said. “It matters where you finish.”
Students said they liked his basketball skills.
“I liked when he was drinking the water and the ball was on it,” said ninth grader Lechiqua King.
His message wasn’t lost on them either.
“It was really nice,” said ninth grader Malia Broughton. “It was motivational.”
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