in time in America’s Heartland—but they made sure to get me to what few there were. One of the early ones I competed in was the Northern Plains Regionals, a seven-state tournament held in Omaha. I took second place, mostly because there were a grand total of three kids in my bracket. It was bittersweet to come in second in a three-man race. On the one hand, I could truthfully say I came in second, and that would sound pretty cool without the burden of context. On the other hand, I knew. I knew I wasn’t better than,
