I used to car pool with Brandon to swim practice back in middle school. He introduced me to a lot of things, the most important of which would have to be sunflower seeds and Sir-Mix-a-Lot.
I remember sitting in the back seat of his mom's car throwing the shells outside the window. His mom would always tell us if they got stuck on the side of the car, then she wouldn't let us eat them anymore. Brandon could break them apart without the aide of his fingers, a skill I didn't learn for many more years.
When I was in 6th grade, and Brandon in 7th we were out by the busses at the end of the school for the day. Brandon sees me, and calls me over. He has a totally sweet tape player (it might have even been an even sweeter CD player - I'm not sure) and tells me to listen to a song. I put my ears to the headphones and listen to the now infamous words: "Oh my God, Becky! Look at her butt! It is so big..."
Growing up, Brandon was a year ahead of me in school, and light years ahead of me in swimming. I literally looked up to him as a brother, and constantly aspired to catch him - both in the pool and otherwise. It's a shame that his life was cut short, but I can honestly say that knowing Brandon Ehlert changed my life for the better. If he influenced other people as profoundly as he influenced me, Brandon has done more in his tragically short life than most people could possibly aspire to do in theirs.
Please pass along my condolences to his family. Thank you, Sean Emery
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