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ABOVE: Brady Reimer, a senior for the Cordell Blue Devils, shoots a three-point shot during the Western Equipment Festival. AT RIGHT: Reimer shows off a hefty largemouth bass he caught. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO) PHOTO BY FLORA WALTERS -
All-around senior looks to hook fish, victories -
Reimer poses with his favorite customer in front of Mike's Meats.
With flaming red hair and a go-getter attitude, senior Brady Reimer can be spotted from a mile away.
On Saturdays and Wednesday afternoons, Reimer can be found working at his father’s shop, Mike’s Meats.
Reimer loves working with his father, even though they don’t always see eye-to-eye.
“It’s fun, every now and then you get in an argument, but that’s just how it goes when you work with your dad,” Brady said.
Mike’s Meats is also where Reimer gets to chat with one of his favorite customers, Russell Jackson, who can be found at almost every single home game no matter the sport.
“Russell Jackson, what a sweetheart that man is. He comes in the store every day and says hi, you know, asks you what you’re doing. He always cares about how you’ve been,” Brady said.
Reimer and Jackson don’t always engage in small talk; however, the pair usually discuss past and up-coming games.
“That man has an insane sports history knowledge. He could tell you about a game that happened three years ago, what the score was, and who was playing for both teams,” Brady said.
Though the Reimers seem like Cordell natives, they didn’t become Blue Devils until Brady’s 8th grade year, when they moved to Cordell from Mangum.
Like any kid who moves to a new place, Reimer didn’t have any friends when he came to Cordell. To make things more difficult, it was summertime, so school wasn’t there to help him meet new people.
Fortunately, with a little help from one of his classmates, Reimer made plenty of friends when school came around.
“I didn’t really have any friends when I moved here, but that all changed once I got into school and talked to Raydon Kuehne. He introduced me to everyone and got me going on the right path,” Brady said.
Not only did Reimer find friends in Cordell but also a new love for fishing.
“Fishing is my stress relief. I love getting to just go out there, rip some lips, and listen to music,” Brady said. “It’s fun. It’s a challenge every time you go out, never the same. You always gotta throw something different and try to figure em’ out. It makes you think a little bit.”
When Reimer isn’t out on the pond, with “the boys,” or at work, he can be found prepping for basketball and baseball.
Brady credits his mother, Amanda Reimer, as the person who inspires him to play basketball.
“She’s my inspiration. She’s also the reason I wear number 11, it was her number in high school. We both love the game,” he said.
Reimer’s parents put a lot of effort into passing their basketball skills to Brady, starting when he was in the fifth grade.
“I remember when we lived in Mangum, my parents tore down an old swing set and put in a concrete slab with a really nice basketball goal. It was one of those lifetime adjustable goals with the real heavy, thick backboard, and that’s what we used to play on,” Brady said. “My mom taught me how to use my left hand and block out, and my dad is the one who gets credit for my bounce pass.”
Despite how much Reimer enjoys playing basketball, his true passion is baseball.
Head baseball coach Bobby Blackburn is the man who helped reignite Reimer’s passion for the sport.
“I was burnt out on baseball when I moved to Cordell, so I tried soccer instead. When I realized soccer wasn’t my thing, I told Blackburn I was coming to play baseball. After that, he talked to my old Mangum coach and told me that I was the team’s missing piece,” Brady said. “When I joined the team, I was the new kid on the block. But, thankfully Blackburn took me under his wing and helped me get back into the game.”
Blackburn enjoys coaching Reimer, and gets along well with him.
“We just kind of hit it off. We are both competitive and enjoy challenges. I’m very passionate and dedicated to what I do, and Brady feeds off of that. I’ve enjoyed coaching him and look forward to seeing what he accomplishes within the team as a senior,” Blackburn said.
THE REIMER FILE
YEAR: Senior
SPORTS: Basketball, baseball
HOBBIES: Talking to Russell Jackson about basketball on Saturday mornings, fishing with Bode, and go-ing to Weatherford with the boys
PARENTS: Mike and Amanda Reimer
FRIENDS: Cade Walker, JD Maddox, Bode Gallagher