Mick In Carl Deuker's Gym Candy

Some people are naturally gifted with peak athleticism and talent, others are not so gifted, however everyone is gifted with the opportunity to work hard. Mick in Carl Deuker’s Gym Candy illustrates the following. Mick is a diligent athlete who has dreams of making it big in the NFL. His father was once a fabulous football star, but failed to meet his expectations. His father, haunted by his failure, is determined to work Mick hard, so he doesn’t end up a bust like him. Mick is galvanized by this and his animosity towards Matt Drager, the team's former running back, has determined him to push and be better at all costs. Mick is shaped by the people around him to work hard and be the best. For example, when Mick wanted to be the starting running back on varsity, he had to beat the starting running back Drager. …show more content…

His dad told him to work harder and harder, so he did, “I ended up practicing hard every single day just like my dad wanted,” (Deuker 61). My Example Thus, in this example it shows how Mick took the advice from his dad and worked harder to catch up to Matt Drager. It shows this because it says I end up practicing hard every day to show he is working hard and just like my dad wanted, shows his influence on why he practices harder. This is showing that Mick is being shaped by his dad and Matt Drager to constantly keep working and working harder and harder. When Mick got a new coach, the coach was tough on him, this made Mick slack off until one day he was matched up with the quarterback Drew for a drill. Drew swept Mick in the drill and made Mick ashamed of himself. When Mick got home, instead of thinking of slacking off more, he was determined to outwork everyone, especially Drew. “I pushed myself to outperform everyone, especially Drew