Football Star Trey Carter Writes a Ballad Every Day

McAlester News shares a profile of Oklahoma State Cowboys's D-lineman Trey Carter, who is an avid writer of poetry, particularly ballads. His practice is informed by daily observations, reflecting on the world around him. As the profile's author Jordan Bishop points out, it's "a hobby he picked up by living with 15 sisters as a child." On the field, Carter is looked up to by his teammates: "Each week, he goes down the line and preaches what every man can do to make himself better. He notices flaws in performances not because of continuous viewings of game tape, though that helps. No, his poetry is what makes him so vigilant." Let's pick up there: 

“You come across a lot of stuff in your life and my thing is writing,” Carter said. “I like to write about what I felt today and I actually have a book where I talk about every day I live my life. Every day I talk about what can I do to get better and what went on that day that I actually learned from.”

Every man on the defensive line has an outlet, for Cole Walterscheid, it’s hunting, for Darrion Daniels, it’s singing and dancing, for Carter it’s his poetry.

While it showcases their singularity, it also manifests into what they do on the field. Walterscheid is a hunter on the field, Daniels has a bravado when he plays and a braggadocio when he celebrates, Carter plays with a resourcefulness that shows hours of thought and preparation.

It all goes back to his daily observations.

“I like writing poetry, doing the things that I love to do and I like looking at it,” Carter said. “It keeps myself occupied. I like to make myself get better, as a person, as a football player and as a leader, just a better person overall.”

Read on at McAlester News.