Meet the Commenters: DuckinKansas

Thanks for joining us DuckinKansas. As one of the younger people on the site, tell us, are cargo pants still as cool among teenagers as they were when I was in high school?

Umm, well I DO wear cargo shorts often and yes they are popular amongst my high school. I don't know if they were as popular when you were a young high schooler. But, the more trendy clothing items at my school tend to range from chacos and khakis. I actually own two pairs of cargo pants. Most of the time I wear athletic shorts or pants.

I follow you on Twitter and see all of your sporting interests. How does one become a fan of the Oregon Ducks, KU and some of the Boston teams?

HAHA. Well since you brought up Twitter, everyone should follow me (@Flaxonfax). But back to the question, it's actually funny you ask me that. For one, Kansas will always be my favorite college team as I have lived here my whole life. But yes I have liked Oregon for many years, since back in 2002, when I was roughly 5 years old. This was mainly because I had some relatives that used to live there. I know many think Oregon fans are "fans" because of their uniforms, but that isn't me. I have supported them since the Joey Harrington days. Basically, Kansas and UO are the team that I follow for college.

My father and family on his side live in Boston. My father lived in Boston for first 30 years of his life before moving here in 1994. Since Kansas City doesn't have either an NHL or NBA team, at an early age I grew a liking for Celtics and Bruins. Patriots and Red Sox fans are pretty ignorant and short sighted, so I never grew an interest towards them which is why I stick with the Royals and Chiefs.

Moving back, tell us about your childhood. Where did you grow up and what did your parents do? What kind of a kid were you?

I am only child that grew up in Prairie Village, KS and have lived here ever since. My Dad, as I already briefly said, lived in Boston for the majority of his childhood. He had two siblings and was middle child. Growing up, his first job he had was at 15 years old at a grocery store (Star Market). After he graduated from Saugas High in 1976, he went to Northeastern University for 5 years and graduated in 1981. He has always been good with numbers, which is ironic because I myself hate math. But, his first major job was working at Wang Laboratories as an accountant in Boston. He maintained that job for a few years. Currently, he is working as property manager for KCMO School District. He got this job when he first moved here in 1994 has kept it ever since. His job has a lot of perks. Because his office is just a street away from Sprint Center, so he gets tickets to CBE Classic and KU Sprint Center games yearly.

My parents met in the North end section of Boston. My mother moved there from Iowa City, where she previously graduated from University of Iowa in 1980 after growing up in the cold climate of Sioux City, IA. She had to work hard as her mother was a nurse and father bounced from job to job. She was the oldest of three.

For the most part, I was a very active kid. I had to create a lot of activities by myself as I am an only child. I played baseball for well over 10 years. I was on a few tournament teams that went to different cities such as Omaha and Lawrence to play. But, baseball took way too much of my time. I started winter practices in January and the season went all the way to July. Overall I played over 70 games per season. Mostly, my position was third base and second, on occasion I played outfield.

I used to really get into making logos for various sports. Back in first and second grade, I really wanted to be a person who designed ads for sports teams. I guess it was something that came to mind for me to pass the time.

What kind of things are you into now that you are in high school? Sports, clubs, job?

Currently, I am about to finish my junior year at Shawnee Mission East. I partake in many sports. During the winter I'm on the swim team and play recreational basketball.  I started my first job for the YMCA After-School club. I enjoy it because spending time with younger kids seems fun to me. Sadly, the junior year of high school has been the hardest year in my high school career. I'm taking Chemistry and Algebra 2, which are very tough classes at my school. Before it slowed down in May, my typical night of doing homework averaged 3-4 hours.

I'm sure you are asked this frequently but where do you want to go to school and what do you see yourself doing as a career?

Difficult question. First off, I do terribly at standardized testing (such as the dreaded ACT). So for me to get in a top notch college is going to be tough because they demand not only high a GPA, but also top level test scores. Personally, I don't see the need for ACT/SAT tests. But, the college that I wish to attend would be a in a more moderate range. KU is obviously my first choice as I have been around campus numerous times and know the ins and outs of athletics there. However, I'm still hesitant of committing to a four year school. A few back up schools are JCCC and UMKC. Even though UMKC is a four year school, it is close to home, so I can commute there. JCCC provides a better financial plan, because I don't want to pay endless amounts of money.

As a career... Well due to the amount of fan posts I have provided on the site, majoring in Journalism and pursuing a career in the field is my top goal. But as of late, I have been intrigued by sports medicine.

How and when did you find RCT?

I first discovered Rock Chalk Talk around Christmas of 2013. I know that seems corny right?  But I actually didn't know what the heck SBNation was until I found the site. It is sort of a funny story,  my username was created to write stuff for Oregon's SBNation site (Addicted to Quack). What I didn't realize was that SBNation has links to all college and pro sites.

What would make a perfect day for you in the city you live? As in what activities and places to eat would you do?

A perfect day would consist of hot weather and summer vacation, which ironically happens after my last final on May 22nd. Perfect vacation would be in Europe or somewhere outside United States, because, well I have never been out of the U.S. before.  Best place to eat is Free Birds. That place is golden. Sorry Chipotle fans, I like Free Birds better than Chipotle.

What has been your biggest success and biggest regret?

Biggest success would be making it through junior year and having only one year left of graduating high school. I know, what a rather lame achievement I have. Biggest regret would be me not ever attending a game at Allen Fieldhouse yet in my life. If you think my life is lame, then me not having gone to a game at AFH makes me a rather bad fan.

Anything else we might not know about you.

Anything else you might want to know about me? My hatred for the Chicago Blackhawks, KState Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, and New England Patriots will forever burn my soul.

Lightning round (no explanations just your answer)
Age-17
Height-5'6"
Where do you live-Prairie Village, KS
Facial hair-If 17 is too young to grow facial hair than I'm done with life. But, I tried to grow a gnarly goatee once, but it didn't go well. 
Any pets-none currently, but used to have fish. My mom is allergic to cats, so there is that. 
What kind of car do you drive-I have not gotten my official drivers license yet. Though I have a 2000 red Ford Focus waiting for me once I do get my license. 
Corrective lenses-glasses
Hair style- I don't know, as long as I keep it from not getting too long in back. 
Favorite movie-Home Alone 2
Favorite tv show-Seinfeld
Favorite beer...er, I mean favorite thing to drink-Oh man, you almost had me there. But Ginger ALE is favorite drink. 
Favorite band-Cartel 
Favorite food-quesadilla
Favorite non KU team-Kansas City Royals 
All time favorite KU player-Russell Robinson
First concert-have never been to one live
Best athlete seen play live-Aaron Rodgers
Favorite dinosaur when you were a kid-Pterodactyl.