Day 163

Day 162

I often look at Mark Haddon's website (author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) and came across his post about the book The Interrogative Mood: A Novel?, which includes 164 pages of philosophical questions. I thought it'd be interesting to ask Kelt a few:

1. Who is your favorite painter? Van Gogh, Warhol, Da Vinci, and Michelangelo
   
2. Do you picture the days of the week on a calendar in your mind? Yes
3. Do you like fire? Yes because it’s fun to burn things.
4. What dead person would you bring back to life? My old dog Liebe.
5. What’s just about the worst thing you ever heard of? Celebrity deaths
6. If you could emigrate to any country in the world and support yourself there, which country would it be? Japan
7. Is there a particular odor or situation guaranteed to nauseate you? B-6 vitamins
8. Would you like to have been at Pearl Harbor? Pearl Harbor would be a nightmare. It would be like an old motion picture.
9. Who in your opinion was the greatest conqueror, military speaking, in history? Hitler or Stalin
10. Have you ever dug up anything valuable? A toy that I buried five years earlier.
11. If you got one today, what might you name a dog? I would get a corgi and name it Kailey because I miss her.
12. What would you prepare if told that Einstein was coming to dinner? A Rice Krispies cake because it’s gluten and dairy free.
13. Can you quickly name a good thing and a bad thing? Good thing: having a great collection. Bad thing: being cocky and skipping school.
14. What is the best meal you have ever had? Steak
15. Would you rather be in a hospital or in jail? Hospital
16. In what endeavors would you say you have talent, and in what endeavors would you say you have no talent? I’m good at history and sports. I’m not bad at anything.
17. What has been so far the best single day of your life? Placing at wrestling tournaments, especially state.
18. Do you know what the longest military siege in the history was? Hundred Years’ War
19. What on earth makes the least sense to you? Sometimes the words people say don't make sense.
20. Did you ever love? Yes. Once in middle school and twice in high school.

www.markhaddon.com

Day 161

Kelt took a camera to school. A typical school day...

Day 160

Day 159

Day 158

Day 157

www.jimlynchbooks.com

Today I went to a reading by Jim Lynch for the book Border Songs. This story was interesting because it took place in Blaine and talked about the border, but also because the main character had autism. Lynch recently read Temple Grandin’s Thinking in Pictures and was fascinated by the idea of a visual perspective compared to one steered by language. To fit the story he needed a character that was observant and diligent, which emulate the unique perspective and characteristics of a person with autism. I enjoyed his appreciation for an alternative way of thinking and seeing the world.

A few pieces from my BFA show that reference Andy Warhol, which also portray autism and the gift of a unique perspective. (see day 61)

Day 156

Kelt and I just made a Twitter account for the blog! Hopefully it will reach more people and be an easier way to share Kelt's stories and quotes. twitter.com/keychainaday

Day 155

1/3 keychains that Kelt got from the Klemann family at the state tournament.

He's going to really miss seeing them and the other boys from the county.

Day 154

Saturday, February 19, 2011


Kelt ended up getting 8th place for the 2A 125 weight class! He also got a medal and 62 keychains, so overall it was a great weekend. We couldn't be more proud of him. Here are some pictures from the tournament:

Thursday: hanging out in the hotel before the team work out.

25/62 keychains that Kelt got at a thrift store in Tacoma.

Friday: Killing time during the tournament lunch break. At this point Kelt was anxious to wrestle his third match. He had to win in order to stay in the tournament.

Hanging out with our brother Camden who placed 3rd last year at state.

After his third match. Trying to lose a pound to make weight for the next day.

Saturday: Getting ready to wrestle his fifth match for 7th or 8th place.

On deck (bottom, left corner)

Lining up for the Parade of Champions, which included everyone from the 2nd day.

Kelt with some of the county boys before the parade (Mom's photo).

Parade

Kelt with his friend Bonzai after the medal ceremony.

Sunday: Thrift store shopping for keychains on the way home.

Day 153

Kelt after losing his second match.
Photograph taken by Andy Bronson for The Bellingham Herald

Today was the first day of the Washington State MAT CLASSIC XXIII Championships at the Tacoma Dome. Kelt won his first match 15-5; lost the second 7-3; and won his third 10-4. Because he won two matches he gets to advance to the second day of the tournament and can't get worse than 8th place! We're so proud of him. This article was in The Bellingham Herald today about Kelt:

PREP WRESTLING: Blaine's Nix an inspiration on the mat

JOE SUNNEN / THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

---

At least once or twice a day, and some days as often as once an hour, Kelton Nix searches out Blaine wrestling coach Craig Foster to talk about his goals for an upcoming match.

This week with Mat Classic XXIII set to start on Friday, Feb. 18, at the Tacoma Dome, the 125-pound senior has been a frequent visitor to Foster's classroom.

"Kelton gets so excited he has to tell people about it," Foster said in a phone interview. "He'll find me and we talk about trying hard and giving your best effort. The season can be a grind and I think everybody kind of appreciates his positive attitude."

If there's a better wrestling story in Whatcom County this season than Nix, it's hard to imagine it. Diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder when he was 6, traditionally referred to as autism, Nix, 18, has never met an opportunity he hasn't made the most of.

"The great thing about coaching Kelton is that you know you're always going to get 100 percent effort out of him," Foster said. "He's always going to go all out all the time. That makes it easy to coach him. You can't get upset with someone if they are giving you everything they can."

In four years, Nix has gone from being an inexperienced and highly unorthodox wrestler to possibly the Borderites' best shot at a medal this weekend. He's also on the honor roll, and last fall he was picked to be the school's homecoming king.

"On the outside Kelton making it to state might look like some amazing thing," Foster said. "But to me it's just been his natural progression as a wrestler. He works hard. He's tough. He has good technique. He's strong. Really he's probably one of our best chances at a medal."

If Nix can win his first two matches at state, he'll be in pretty good shape to do just that. He placed second at the Class 2A Region One Tournament last week and is determined to place in the top eight at Mat Classic.

"I like winning medals," Nix said in a phone interview. "To win a medal is my goal. I'm hoping it happens."

Nix should have a pretty big cheering section in Tacoma. His enthusiasm for the sport and outgoing personality has helped him make plenty of friends over the years, not only in Blaine but around the area.

Nix counts shaking his opponent's hands and hugging coaches after a match among his favorite things about the sport. And he's always chatting up other wrestlers at tournaments.

"The joy that he has just being in the sport is one of the things that stands out to me," Foster said. "He's always befriending people in the sport. He's not just a Blaine guy; he's a Whatcom County guy. That's kind of unique in a sport like wrestling."

Nix is so well liked by his peers that a few wrestlers from others teams in the Northwest Conference have helped him with another of his passions - collecting key chains. Nix started the collection in elementary school and now has nearly 6,000 unique key chains thanks to friends, family and members of the Blaine community. He's also received key chains from a few Nooksack Valley High School wrestlers.

He's also recently started collecting bobblehead dolls, and loves reading about U.S. history and the world's major wars.

Nix keeps the key chains cataloged and categorized, and has a near photographic memory of each that helps him avoid duplicates. He and his older sister, Ainsley Nix, have started a blog about his key chains and autism. The blog can be found at http://keychainaday.blogspot.com.

"When we started the key chains the original idea was try and break the Guinness World Record," said Kelton's father, Neil Nix, in a phone interview. "At the time it was around 20,000, but it's now at about 40,000 so we changed our goal. Now we're just trying to put together the best collection. We've had to dedicate a room in our house to it, but it is one of Kelton's favorite things."

Nix's father has also played a big role in Kelton's wrestling success. An English teacher at Blaine, he's been an assistant coach with the team since Nix turned out as a freshman. Kelton also runs cross country and enjoys soccer.

"I always wished he'd picked a different sport because wrestling is pretty hard," Neil Nix said. "But it's what he wanted to do so we've supported him with it."

Kelton's become so proficient with certain holds that they've become next to impossible to stop. One hold, a sort of over the top head-and-arm move that Nix puts on from the ground, has been particularly effective at scoring points. His father has dubbed it "The Italian Necktie."

"Kelton certainly has a unique style," Foster said. "I think early on in his career he had a vision of what a wrestler should be and over time that's started to come into focus. He's sort of created his own style, but what makes his style good is that he's consistent with it. He has certain moves, and he has just kept refining them. Now he's at the point where he can work them whenever he needs to."

Nix's long-term future is a little less clear. Neil Nix said Kelton will likely enroll at a community college after graduation and they'll see how that goes. Though Kelton is high-functioning, it's possible he'll never be completely independent of the care of others.

"Kelton loves movies, key chains, and bobbleheads," Neil Nix said. "Maybe someday he'll have a business that has something to do with those three things. And we'll be right there every step of the way."

For now Kelton is as excited about wrestling in the state tournament as he's been for anything in his life.

"When he was named homecoming king I had never seen him so excited," Neil Nix said. "He was beyond excited. He's been like that with state. If he wins a medal it will be a dream come true for him."