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“You will never be able to succeed as one player in football the same way you will never be able to succeed on your own in the world.”
While I’ve known Ben Weiner, my brother, my whole life, I’ve only come to know Ben Weiner, Roosevelt student, athlete, and teenager in the past few years we have both been at Roosevelt.
Brother Ben is the oldest of three kids, born and raised in New York City. He moved to Portland just in time to attend Roosevelt as a Freshman in 2019. With the move, he became the oldest of five children in what we call the “compound,” which is our house and the house that our aunt, uncle, and cousins live in that is right next door. Ben is funny, thoughtful, empathetic, talkative, and loves to be in charge. Ben is always finding ways to make things into a joke. Even things that probably shouldn’t be funny. While at times he can be quite a goofball, he is always one of the most genuinely considerate people I have ever known. Whenever he sees that I am not having a good day or that I am struggling with something, he is always there for me and tries his best to make me feel better with his jokes that, yet again, should not be funny. Ben cares deeply about the people around him and what they are going through and feels that he always wants to brighten their day or help them understand a situation. The best is our family dinners when we are all talking about our days or what is going on in the world. Ben can start talking about a current event or a funny meme...and never stop. While great to hear his ideas, this also happens to be one of his most challenging aspects - his inclination to start talking and not stop until his point has been made. This comes from his love to be in control and sharing all his many ideas is one of his go-to attributes.
Ben by Ellie Weiner
Speaking of being in charge, Ben is the quarterback for the RHS football team. Football has always been important to Ben. He says, “football is a good microcosm for the world ... you will never be able to succeed as one player in football the same way you will never be able to succeed on your own in the world.” When talking about the best way to balance football and his academic life he said “I try to make sure that I am focusing on whatever I think is most important in any given moment.” Ben has been playing football since a young age. He started by playing flag football and then graduated to tackle football when he started high school. The realization of football’s place of significance in his life was “more of a gradual uprising” than a specific moment and with the help of his mom and dad, he strives to succeed as a student and athlete. In regard to his parents, he says “both have been helpful in their own unique ways” in helping him achieve his academic as well as his athletic life, pushing him to be the best version of himself.
On the topic of pushing himself, Ben takes his academics very seriously, though he tends to be “a save everything for the last minute kind of student.” He is enrolled in four AP classes this year and is a part of Roosevelt’s Constitution team which had its competition earlier this year. To highlight his academic drive, as well as prioritizing academics during the school year, Ben took a course in the summer between Freshman and Sophomore year in order to accelerate his scholastic track. Ben also strives to have the best grades in his class. He takes the competition between himself and his classmates very seriously.
Ben takes all three of his roles, family member, athlete, and student, very seriously and aims to do his very best at all three. Whether that is making his sister feel better with an inappropriate joke, leading his team through a tough game, or doing his very best on a class assignment, you will never find anyone more dedicated to the important things in life than Ben.
Football by Ellie Weiner
By Ellie Weiner, Grade 10
Roosevelt High School
Published June 10, 2022
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