Dominic Brown of Fremont Ross learned compassion, determination from mother

Dominic Brown captured a state crown in the shot put as a senior.

The Fremont Ross graduate champions single mother Shelly Kiser with his success. Brown is the final athlete of the year in the Michael K. Bosi series.

“My mother taught me to be strong mentally and keep working hard,” he said. “She was always there for us when we were kids, and gentle, but when me and my brothers got rowdy she was strong. She has a mix of kindness and sternness.

"It helped get me and my brothers where we are today.”

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Kiser is selfless, to the point she left no time for herself.

“When my grandma (Phyllis Kiser) was sick and in the Cleveland Clinic – she was gone so much – between that and our sports she was back and forth and back and forth for months on end. I told her, ‘It’s OK if you don’t come to a track meet,’ and she still came.”

The boys tried to help their mom and she knew it, but they didn’t know how as kids.

“My mom has an overwhelming amount of compassion for others,” Brown said. “She’ll stop focusing on herself and start focusing so much on somebody else that it’s bad for her. That level of compassion blows me away and means a ton.”

Kiser is caretaker for Brown’s uncle Louis. Brown said she’s one of a kind.

“Once you talk to her and get to know her,” he said. “She’s strong. Fun. Kind. Someone I’m happy to be around. My mom is easy to get along with. She’s a unique character.”

Brown knows his father, but there was never a parental relationship.

“I was blessed my mom did a great job in both roles,” he said. “I couldn’t have asked for more. Everything in my life, she’s always pushing me to be my best and she supported me. She raised me as a single parent and as mother and father figures.

“I can’t thank her enough for getting me here.”

Brown continues his career at Youngstown State.

“It’s a whole new environment, a new game,” he said. “I’m excited. I went from the top to the bottom again. I’ll grind and execute and do my best and grow, that’s all I can do.”

Brown was a varsity competitor for track since postseason as a sophomore. He threw at a few varsity meets as a freshman.

He established a program record at 62 feet, 6 inches to win at state.

“It didn’t feel right for a while,” he said. “It didn’t sit right, but not in a bad way. It felt unbelievable. Everything came together, years of hard work paying off. Going to Dayton and hanging out with my coaches and my brothers and my cousins and being an underdog and winning state.

“Celebrating with my family afterward was huge, huge.”

His championship season might not have been foreshadowed, but it still started auspiciously.

“The first meet, Margaretta Relays; that was the first time I broke a goal I had for a long time, 50 feet,” he said. “At district I was close to 60, but I fouled. I knew (then) I could get those big numbers. My first throw at state was 60-4.

"Now I know I can do this. Those were the monumental throws that meant different stages, and obviously the big one.”

Little Giants coach Travis Bates always had an open door for Brown to communicate.

“He’s a great dude; easy to get along with,” Brown said. “He’s one of my best friends. He’s great at pushing you to high goals. He motivates me to set high expectations for me and he put so much time into me, I felt I couldn’t let him down.”

Bates, who did foretell a state crown when Brown was a freshman, hasn’t seen the last of his star pupil.

“I’m excited to move to the next stage in my life, and I can’t wait to come back and support my brothers and my little cousins through their journey as Little Giants.”

Brown was first-team as a defensive lineman in the Northern Lakes League Cardinal Division his senior year. He played the final four games for varsity football as a sophomore, along with the next two seasons.

“I enjoyed practice with my guys,” he said. “Seeing them every day, that’s my favorite group. You grow up together. I can’t put words to describe it. That was my favorite part, the process.”

It reminds Brown of Kiser.

“She’s one of my best friends, one of my favorite people,” he said. “I can always talk to her. She’s the head of the household, but she comes to me to talk about things. We’re a team, we always get through things together.”

mhorn@gannett.com

419-307-4892

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This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Dominic Brown of Fremont Ross learned compassion, determination from mother