Andrew Sparks – Champion

Played by Kevin

Andrew Sparks was born on November 11, 1900 to Thomas Sparks, founder and CEO of Sparks Utilities, and his high society wife Gwendolyn.

The precocious lad was bundled off to Haven Preparatory Academy a year early. thanks to the best tutors money could buy and his parents need to free up time for themselves. A small fish in a relatively big pond, Andrew took to wrestling as a way to defend himself from predations of the social hierarchy at this leading East Coast prep school.

His parents did take note when Andrew announced his intentions on Christmas break 1917 to drop out and join the Army, as the United States was finally moving to enter the Great War in Europe. His parents reminded Andrew that he could not enlist without their consent until he turned 18 next November. To further insure no rebellious notions of heroism, Thomas notified the local armed forces recruiting boards in case his son attempted to lie about his age.

Andrew returned to Haven Prep and took his frustrations out on his wrestling opponents, gaining a second state title in 4 years. His academics and athletics had earned him a full-ride scholarship to Sacred Heart University. Andrew wanted to be close by, so that on his 18th birthday his father would be unable to miss his withdrawal from college and enlistment.

But by Andrew’s birth month the war was all but over; in fact, his 18th birthday was the official signing of the armistice. Andrew fully invested himself in the campus lifestyle, his reputation for partying exceeded only by his athletic achievements. And his grades stayed just barely above eligibility status.

By his sophomore year at Sacred Heart, the US Olympic Committee was scouting Andrew for the 1920 Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium. Andrew assumed his parents read about it in the newspaper.

Still reeling from the horrors of the War to End All Wars, Europe was a strange place. Andrew toured a few locations before settling into the Olympic village and final preparations for the summer catch-as-catch-can wrestling events. There was the usual friendly rivalry in the Olympic village; the exception to prove the rule was the small contingent of Russian/Soviet wrestlers (even they didn’t seem to know which label was correct). The nastiest of the bunch was a bruiser named Ivan Solneich, and he seemed to take a dislike to Andrew from the first day in Antwerp. Naturally he was in Andrew’s weight division.

The two ended up not facing each other in Antwerp. The Russian wrestlers were not expected to do well; wrestling was not a sport favored by the Soviet heritage. Many Americans did well at the 1922 games, but Andrew was not one of them. It was very hot on August 18, and as Andrew was warming up before taking to the mat for his third match of the Games, he felt a sharp bite on his neck; the mosquitoes had been terrible all week. Andrew’s normally lightning fast technique was nowhere to be found, and it was all he could do to avoid being pinned. That hadn’t happened since his first match freshman year at Haven Prep. Crippled by self-doubt, he fumbled through his match the next day and lost that match as well, and his chance for even the bronze medal slipped away.

Meanwhile, back in Titan City, Andrew’s parents were killed in a horrible automobile accident. Given the pace of communication in the time period, Andrew was not aware until he returned to Titan City to find his father’s company now in possession of Arthur C. Goode. The board had jumped at the price Mr. Goode was offering in the wake of their founder’s death.

The only saving grace for Andrew was the trust fund left behind by his parents. For about a week, he tried to drown his sorrows in a booze-soaked frenzy. But Andrew was not the type to quit. So he purchased a pair of experimental vehicles, made some modifications to his penthouse apartment, and crafted a mystery-man persona. Titan City had problems, bad and getting worse every day. This was a city that needed a champion. And this time, Andrew would not be denied.