"There are no BAD days, only GOOD ones.  Appreciate every day you have on this earth.  You are lucky to be here", said former University of North Dakota Football player Hunter Pinke.  Hunter was speaking to students at a jam-packed auditorium at Bismarck High School Wednesday morning.

Wendy Bakken
Wendy Bakken
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I spoke with one of the students from Bismarck High School who attended the presentation by the former Fighting Hawks Tight End.  "You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium while Pinke was speaking", said Bismarck High senior Hunter Acker.  "His message was so inspirational and it really spoke to me."

Hunter Pinke, who was a junior at UND at the time suffered a ski injury on December 27th,  2019th.  He was invited on a ski trip with a friend on the football team to Keystone, Colorado.  The accident happened on that fateful day when he collided with another skier and went headfirst into a tree.  Hunter shattered his spine.  He is now paralyzed from the abdomen down.

Wendy Bakken
Wendy Bakken
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Pinke told the students what was really ironic after his UND Fighting Hawks football team was eliminated from the FCS playoffs in 2019 that the opposing team's coaches were telling him, "nice game and nice career."  Hunter was only a junior at the time.  As it turned out, it would be his last game and the end of his career.

Hunter went on to tell the Bismarck High students there's no such thing as "half empty or half full", just be glad you have a glass, and if you have some extra water share it with someone else.

Rick Rider
Rick Rider
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Hunter Pinke, who was born and raised in Wishek, North Dakota.  He was an incredible high school basketball player besides football.  He had offers to play D1 basketball but chose football after a close friend of his who was a basketball player died unexpectedly.  Even though Pinke has suffered unimaginable events in his life, he's using it to spread a positive message to students all across the state and the country.


 

 

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