15 minutes with Saed Al-Olimat

We recently had a conversation with Saed (pronounced “Sod”), 17, an Ada High School senior. Here’s a portion of the conversation.

What classes are you taking?
Yearbook, psychology in the fall and sociology in the spring, calculus I, Spanish IV, personal finance, Advanced Prep English and Physics.

Who was your kindergarten teacher and who did you sit beside?
Mrs. Smittle was my teacher…(long pause)…I think I sat beside Cole Tabor. I had a mustache kindergarten.

What?

Yes, there was peach fuzz there. Eveyone knew it.

What do you do with your time when you are not in class, and not at football?
I work at Ohio Northern as an Arabic translator. I help some Saudi Arabian students to learn English. Help them with daily tasks in English.

Tell me about your background.
My dad was born in Jordan. He’s the chairperson of the ONU electrical engineering department. I’ve traveled to Jordan, maybe six or seven times.

What position do you play in football?
Defensive tackle and offensive line. I’ve lettered twice.

In your opinion, what was your best-ever football game.
It was probably last year against Spencerville. We were predicted to lose and we won 35-0.

How about your football injuries?
When I was a sophomore I fractured my ankle. Last year against Allen East I sprained it pretty bad, but kept playing.

What are your college plans?
I’m not certain yet. I visited Findlay and am scheduled to visit North Carolina and Duke. I’m thinking about pre-med.

Can you remember the first movie you ever saw?
(Long pause.) You know, I think it was “Titanic.” My mom was crying at the end. I didn’t know why. I was pretty little.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Yes, My brother is 8 and is a second grader. My sister is 10 and is a fifth grader.

Ever get grounded?
Well, I received a 25 on my ACT and wasn’t able to watch Net Flicks. I used to watch Breaking Bad and Lost. I’m in the middle of Lost season 2.

Tell me about the car you drive.
It’s silver 2004 Cadillac CTS, V-8 with about 122,000 miles on it.

I understand you are a weight lifter and broke a school record this summer. Tell me about it.
The football team has an annual weight lift-a-thon. The point is to raise money. I benched 400 pounds. Dalton Bass held the record at 375 pounds two years ago. It was a great moment. It felt like a dream. Everyone was excited at the time. I didn’t realize I did it.

Tell me about the music you listen to.
Rap and Ariana Grande.

So, if you could have lunch in downtown Ada with Ariana, where would you take her?
Taco Bell. I’m cheap.

Nice talking with you and good luck this year in school.