Don’t complain about what you cannot control.
Zack Golditch’s favorite quote from his football coach at Gateway High School truly resonates with the senior.
Golditch signed his letter of intent, along with thousands of other student athletes across the state of the Colorado and the nation, Wednesday morning before his mother and a group of peers. He will be playing at offensive line at Colorado State.
That he could control. What happened at that tragic movie premiere just six month prior, he couldn’t.
The Olympian student athlete, captain and recruit was just another victim in the tragic theatre shooting in Aurora.
He was sitting amongst friends and teammates to see the midnight showing of the ‘Dark Knight Rises’ in theatre 8, which was next to the one the shooter entered and opened gunfire that left 58 injured and 12 dead. Unbeknownst to what was occurring in the adjacent auditorium he was struck in the neck when a bullet a pierce through the wall from theatre 9.
His career wasn’t in jeopardy, his life was.
“The fact that I could have been paralyzed or possible could have died,” Golditch said. The bullet came perilously close to being possibly life threatening. Miraculously, the bullet passed through his neck without incident. “I might not have been able to play football again. Now that I am, I don’t really think about it, I’m just grateful that I am.”
The wound didn’t require stitches, because doctors worried about the risk of infection.
Golditch was cleared to play football not long after. He practiced and went through fall camp with his Gateway teammates as if nothing has changed. The football player was once again in control, over the line of scrimmage on Friday nights and what his future would hold.
“It’s unthinkable. You start out playing football; you want to go play high school, varsity athletics. Then you want to move on to college,” Golditch admitted. “Just to see it somewhat coming together is amazing.”
What all has been led to this moment
“I never doubted it, really. You have to believe,” the soon-to-be Ram continued.
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