Van had always been the small guy his class at Kennedy High School. He played football since he was eight, but he never filled out (One of the many reasons that he was always the butt of the team's practical jokes). On the team, he was forced into doing all the grunt work. The fact that he was a senior returning to the team for the forth year did not exempt him as it did all the other returning players. Even the freshmen poked fun at him, which only lowered his self-esteem that much more.
One day, during the spring lacrosse season, he was walking on the school field during a lacrosse practice. Grant, a star football and lacrosse player who had always found it hilarious to torment Van decided to injure him yet again. As Van walked behind the lacrosse goal, Grant wound up for a shot on the team's goalie and purposely missed the goal by over ten yard and sent the hard rubber ball barreling towards Van's skull.
Without thinking, Van quickly batted away the 98 mph shot as it were a gnat flying around his face. Everyone on the field stopped and stared at Van, who was confused about why what he had done was so fascinating. Years of getting everything from food to rocks launched at him had made dodging and blocking flying objects second nature to him.
The school's lacrosse coach, Mike Fallon, ran over to van as soon as the shock wore off. He told Van that he had the quickest reflexes he'd ever seen and that he wanted Van to try out for goal keeper. Van, shocked by the praise of his always overlooked, miniscule athletic abilities, didn't know what to make of this new attitude that his fellow teenagers were giving...