“I used to think that the meaning of life was to get rich, have kids and die but now I understand that the purpose of life is to live out the plan God has for you.”
A partial tear in his UCL ended RBHS senior Brody Wood’s track and field season, but the setback pushed Wood to rely on making a deeper faith with God as he searched for why it happened and how to move forward with a different perspective.
Q: What activities did you participate in at RBHS and outside of school?
A: “Outside of school I don’t do all too much. I just go to the gym. Inside of school I pretty much only do track. Before the track season, I didn’t really do anything, but during track, I throw javelin. Now my season’s over, so I just hang out with the track team and coach.”
Q: Who or what motivated you to get into javelin?
A: “Kyle Kudrna. He was one of my good friends. He’s a sophomore at Mizzou now, but he started throwing javelin in high school, so then I started throwing javelin in high school. It was more just his relation to me. He has always been a good friend and told me that I should do it. I originally planned to compete in running, alongside javelin, but I decided against it and chose to stick with javelin alone.”
Q: Before your UCL injury, what were your goals for the season, and how close were you to reaching them?
A: “I wanted to break the 50 meter, mark and I ended up throwing 46 meters.”
Q: Whenever you faced a setback, like your injury, what helped you get through it?
A: “I mean, just to know that ultimately it doesn’t matter because nothing on this earth I’m going to keep except the work I do for the kingdom. So essentially, it doesn’t really have any effect on me. I just know that I had a door partially open, and then God shut that door.”
Q: Was there a specific moment where your faith guided you to handle setbacks?
A: “My injury. A lot of people told me how upset they would be if it happened to them, but my faith has helped me to rejoice in the injury. I was stuck with deciding whether I would throw in college or not, and that question got answered.”
Q: How did your injury change how you approach track and school?
A: “Well, it doesn’t really change how I approach school. I mean with track, I’m just trying to be there for my teammates that are healthy with the knowledge that I have, so I can coach them to be better.”
Q: What did you learn about yourself during the moment where things didn’t go as planned, like on your last throw?
A: “Just that I was content that javelin and throwing isn’t an idol in my life and that whether I have it or not is irrelevant.”
Q: What are you planning on majoring in for college?
A: “I’m majoring in kinesiology, [and] that plan never really changed. But I plan to go into kinesiology and then after that I either want to be an athletic trainer at a school or be a physical therapist.”
Q: What motivated you to major in kinesiology?
A: “I’m fascinated with the human body. I like working out. I like seeing how the body moves, how different things make certain muscles grow and how certain ways can release pressure and release stress.”
Q: Is there anyone who has pushed you to be who you are today or set you back? What have they done to shape it?
A: “I mean, I can’t really think of just one person. I feel like there’s multiple encounters with different people that have caused different things to happen. But I’d say one person would be Levi Thompson. Just his compassion for sharing the gospel and for wanting to lead others to Christ is just inspiring. I guess my parents too. They’ve shaped a lot of me. Just be good and […] even if people are good, it doesn’t really matter because ultimately what matters is self righteousness.You can be seen horribly by the world but seen as righteous by God, so the amount of good you do has no impact, instead it’s just the amount of faith you have.”
Q: Shifting away from track, what has been your favorite part of high school?
A: “I guess my favorite part of high school would be just being able to make new friends, grow and mature, learn that nobody really cares, try to just be a good student and learn […] for the future.”
Q: You said high school taught you that “nobody really cares,” what do you mean by that?
A: “That nobody really cares what you do or what you are because you shouldn’t be shaped by how others will view you for it. I also know that people are pretty much all the same in that if I don’t care what somebody else is expressing about themselves, then people won’t care how I do it either.”
Q: What’s one moment in high school that made you feel proud of yourself?
A: “I guess in College Comp senior year, where I’ve gotten to write a majority of my essays about the Gospel.”
Q: What’s one thing you learned about yourself in high school that you didn’t know before?
A: “I guess one thing I learned is that I really enjoy writing essays. Because before, I just did it. I mean, I didn’t really realize I was good at it because in middle school everything was so easy. But in high school, they want you to articulate your words better and share your ideas more thoroughly. I learned that through writing essays and I learned that I’m really good at it.”
Q: What’s one aspect you think you’ve matured in the most since freshman year?
A: “My way of life. I used to think that the meaning of life was “get rich, have kids and die,” but now I understand that the purpose of life is to live out the plan God has for you and to be faithful to that.”
