Robinson finds comfort level in the spotlight

He will move to nose guard for Lions

GRAVETTE - Cody Robinson has never had trouble holding his own on the football fi eld.

At 5-foot-8, 190 pounds, his powerful frame and low center of gravity make it almost impossible to knock him off his feet.

The Gravette senior was a bright spot in a down season for the Lions (4-7) last year, as he rushed for almost 900 yards as the Lions’ featured running back. His bruising runs struck fear into opponents, who were often left with cleat marks on their chests.

But it wasn’t that long ago that Robinson was a shaking bundle of fear himself when he was asked to audition for a role in a Rogers Little Theater production of Hairspray.

“I was scared to death. I chickened out, to tell you the truth,” he said. “I went in there the first day of auditions, and we danced first and we sung a little bit. And we were supposed to come back the next day and read lines. But I got there and I just froze up. I couldn’t do anything.

“I just decided it wasn’t for me. So I walked out of the room and regretted it all the way home.”

That was three years ago.

Robinson asked for another chance and has since embraced the theater. After Hairspray, he also performed in the stage production of 9-to-5. This year he hopes to land a role in Les Miserables.

Gravette coach Bill Harrelson calls his two-way starter “a Renaissance man.”

“Cody has a lot of irons in the fire,” Harrelson said. “He’s always where he’s supposed to be. He’s just a real leader on the team, in the weight room, then goes out and does acting, singing, karaoke. He’s got his hands in a lot of it.”

Robinson has spent alot of time in the weight room, preparing to take on an expanded role for the Lions. He’s increased his power clean and bench press maximums from 260 pounds to 290. He said he’s also ramped up his running to improve his endurance.

He will shift to fullback this season as Cedric Duarte takes over at tailback. Robinson welcomed the move, which he said will make the Lions a better team. But it’s his move to nose guard that has him the most excited.

“It’s completely new to me and I love it,” he said of his move to the defensive line. “I love it a little more than fullback, actually.”

Harrelson said while Robinson will see his carries go down as a fullback, he’ll still get plenty of touches.

“He’ll carry the ball more than a regular fullback does,” Harrelson said. “Plus he can get out of the backfield and catch, and he’s hard for a defensive back to tackle because of his great balance.”

Football and theater are not usually linked together when it comes to performing arts.

Asked if his teammates give him much grief, Robinson said they did a little when he was a freshman, but not much anymore.

“The seniors kind of messed with me a little, but not in a hurting way,” he said.

While making a deep run in the playoffs would be the kind of performance Robinson would seem a natural for, he also has his sights set on what he hopes is another awardwinning production.

“I would love to be in the production of ‘Rock of Ages,’ Robinson said. “Classic rock, it’s my genre. I’ve always wanted to be in that show.”

Now that he’s gotten over his fear of auditioning, his best performance may be yet to come.

Sports, Pages 10 on 09/04/2013