You Won't Hear My Nickname From Anyone Else But My Dad

Porkchop. I'm not talking about meat. Porkchop is my nickname.

I never thought I would publicly tell this story. We talked about nicknames throughout the office, and mine is (to say the least) unique. Randy was curious about my name, and I shared my story with him. It's your turn to hear the story.

Dad, consider this little reveal part of your Father's Day gift!

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I really have no idea what my dad was thinking. My parents knew that they wanted a daughter name Katie, and her nickname from the get go was “Katie Bug." It was just a natural thing to say. It rolls right off your tongue. Obviously, the name Christine was the other name they had selected for a girl. One problem…there aren't a lot of nicknames that work well with Christine. So, my dad decided to be super creative with my nickname...hence Porkchop.

Is it because I looked like a piece of meat or because my parents wanted to eat me since I was so unbelievably cute? Thankfully, these weren't the reasons. My dad just wanted something unique. He's never heard of anyone having the nickname Porkchop or any nickname even remotely similar.

You can only imagine what the reactions were at my competitions or games in grammar school and high school when my dad would affectionately shout encouraging remarks like: "Let's go Porkchop!”; “One mile left Porkchop!” or “You have an open shot Porkchop!” I've heard them all and then some!

Despite the embarrassment I had growing up, this nickname has grown on me. Don't get me wrong. I still get extremely red in the face when my dad calls me Porkchop. But I know it's my name. I’m quite confident there is probably no one else in the world with this nickname. My dad certainly found a way to have me stand out in the world among millions of people.

Thanks, dad.

Love, Porkchop

Jim Manika