Dream Team

Not all hopes will be crushed at the Crush open tryouts.

A A A Comments By Bill Gallo Thursday, Dec 22 2005

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Mark Manger

George Walker gets big air.

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For now, though, Walker believes that time is still on his side. Despite the fact that this journey cost him $700, he was encouraged by his Crush workout. He pledges to lose fifty pounds this year -- via protein shakes, salads heaped with boneless, skinless chicken, and plenty of gym time. By next year he hopes to be pretty good with free weights, a lot faster and quicker to react. All the while, he says, he will be "living every day to the fullest" -- even when that means hauling pipe or swinging a sledgehammer.

"You just can't give up, ever," he says. "I won't, because I need to live my dream and do what I love, which is play football." Even in his seemingly boundless hope, there may be a whiff of doubt. His 24th birthday, which arrived on a freezing bus in Kansas, didn't much affect him, he says: "It was just another day." But next year's birthday may signify something else: It will be a reminder that the clock is ticking. "A quarter-century," he says quietly. "Kind of a milestone. That will probably mean something. My prime is now, and I better take advantage of it while I can. Before it's too late."