I first started hearing about Rickie King when my wife was his fifth-grade teacher. Like so many people in this community, my wife couldn’t help but root for him.As a kid who has never met his father, Rickie’s home life has always been turbulent. He left home and has been on his own since he was 12, finding shelter with various friends who have been gracious enough to give him a place to stay.It would be easy to sink in such circumstances like a boy trapped in quicksand, but Rickie has always seemed to trudge through the mud, deflecting turmoil with his contagious smile.