Pick a card, any card
By Victoria Witte
Creative Services
“Pick a card, any card.”
These may be the first words of all aspiring magicians. Perhaps the words jolt your brain back to a childhood memory: your very first magic show, performed hours after ripping open the amateur magic set given to you for Christmas.
Outfitted with a thin black and white wand, a favorite plush white bunny rabbit and a deck of cards, you probably hoped to be the next Houdini. But for many — after one too many failed shuffles or skeptical chuckles — the magic is lost with childhood.
Clemson freshman Nathan Goodroe never lost his magic. He has long since outgrown the amateur kits of Christmas mornings, replacing them with intricate card tricks, sleight of hand deceptions and the mysterious art of mentalism, or mind reading.
“As a kid, everyone loves magic. Some people just don’t grow up,” said Goodroe, a general engineering major in The Bridge to Clemson program.
Goodroe’s tricks are anything but childish. He awes audiences as he uses his magic to dig deep into their minds, revealing personal details of their lives — hopes and dreams, first loves and lucky numbers, even their father’s first name.
He’s always loved to perform, but Goodroe didn’t become serious with his magic until his freshman year of high school when he discovered his fascination with card tricks. Always with a deck in his pocket, Goodroe decided to combine his love for magic with his passion for helping others. He began to donate his time and perform shows to raise money for his school’s mission trips.
Now at Clemson, Goodroe hopes to spend the next four years becoming as involved as possible, performing magic as a way to give back to others across campus.
His tricks amaze, but he knows there is more to magic than the paranormal. He admits to spending countless hours practicing and perfecting his craft. “It’s 80 to 90 percent how you dress it up,” he said.
But there’s no denying Goodroe’s supernatural gift, and one can’t help but feel a mysterious aura in his magic.
“I’ve been blessed,” he said. “I don’t know what it is, but there’s definitely something there.”
Know someone or something you think we should write about on the Clemson website? Email your idea to writer Crystal Boyles at boyles@clemson.edu.
Tags: Bridge to Clemson, CES, engineering