Fall Sports Standout Athletes Part 1
Q & A With Luke Mitchell
Q: What motivates you to perform at your best?
A: “Being a captain on my team really makes me feel like I have a duty to perform my best for my teammates and to not let them down.”
Q: How do you handle pressure in high-stake situations?
A: “Since I’m a goalie, almost all games are pressure filled but just experience throughout the season can really help eliminate all the stress.”
Q: How do you support and motivate your teammates?
A: “What I try to do as a senior on the team is just put in the effort in practices. If all the seniors and captains are really giving it their all in practice, then it pushes the younger class men to follow and perform at the same level of intensity.”
Q: Give an overall summary of you and your team’s season
A: “Our season so far has been the best out of my high school career. Currently we are 11-1, and we have beaten some really good schools including Chambersburg and Bishop McDevitt.”
Q: What specific goals did you set for yourself this season, did you accomplish them?
A: “Last year we had 10 shutouts, my goal this year was to get more than that. As of right now in our season we have 9 shutouts with 5 games still to go in our regular season. So I would say we are on track to hit that goal. “
Q: What advice would you give to other athletes?
A: “If I had to take a theme from my sport and relay it to other athletes, I would tell them that “patience is key.”
Q: How do you handle setbacks or losses, what have you learned from them?
A: “Losses aren’t always a terrible thing because it helps us realize what might be wrong in our game play and can help remove any error for the more important games like Districts.”
Q: How have you grown as an athlete since the beginning of the season?
A: “This year I have grown more as a leader than a player. Through games and practices, I felt that this year I needed to really be a role model for some of these younger kids in the team.”
Q & A With Coach David McCarter
Q: What qualities make this athlete stand out among their peers?
A: “Luke is extremely focused and hard working.”
Q: How have they contributed to the team’s success this season?
A: “Luke has been a rock in goal for us. He makes great saves and leads the defense. As of this date, I believe he has the most consecutive shutout minutes in the history of the program. He has not conceded a goal in over 9 and a half hours.”
Q: How has this athlete evolved since the beginning of the season?
A: “Luke has always been a solid presence mentally and physically. His evolution is always improving himself through work and film study.”
Q: In what ways does this athlete embody the values or goals of your program?
A: “He is a perfect example of what we preach to our athletes being put into practice. All of the things he has done over the past four years is leading to a lot of opportunities to play at the collegiate level.”
Q: What was your first impression on this athlete, and how have they grown since then?
A: “Our goalie coach, Mr. Young, saw instant potential in Luke. They have worked numerous hours together to max out the skills of a player that started with a ton of potential and has made that become a successful reality.”
Q & A With Bella Graham
Q: What motivates you to perform at your best?
A: “In all areas of my life, I like to give my all. Whether it’s to my relationships, my work or my sports, I don’t like to leave myself wondering if I could have done things differently. It’s taken me a long time to learn that I’ll always be okay with the results of what I do as long as I know I gave it my all in the moment. ”
Q: How do you handle pressure in high-stake situations?
A: “I like to think of myself as a chill person when it comes to high pressure situations. When I’m in these situations, I just tell myself to relax and to do my best. That’s all I can do. What will happen will happen, and I always remember to be okay with and proud of myself when everything is done.”
Q: How do you support and motivate your teammates?
A: “I’ve been playing tennis for about five years now, and through all of that time, I’ve had good spurts and bad spurts. I know exactly how it feels to get mad or get down on myself or blame myself for the mistakes I make when I’m playing. When I see this happening with my teammates, I just try to remind them that mistakes are inevitable; nobody is perfect and nothing will happen perfectly. I try to voice this by being positive and trying to take the weight off of the situation or the mistake but also giving them some constructive criticism about doing it better next time and moving on.”
Q: Give an overall summary of you and your team’s season
A: “My team has done pretty well this season. We’ve won most of our matches and created some bonds that were missing from our team structure before. I look at the team that will be there after I graduate, and I’m excited for the things they will accomplish and the new levels they will reach. This season, I’m playing the top spot–somewhere I’ve never played before–and although my individual record isn’t as good as it’s been in previous years, I’m having a great time playing people with higher skill sets and learning from them, whether it is from wins or losses.”
Q: What specific goals did you set for yourself this season, did you accomplish them?
A: “This season, I just knew I wanted to enjoy my final year on the team, create relationships with my teammates and do my best. With our season closing out, I can say I did all of that. I’m very proud of the player I’ve become, and I can attribute a lot of that to my performance this season.”
Q: What advice would you give to other athletes?
A: “Advice to other athletes–I would tell them to have fun and do their best. Push yourself to be better but don’t be so hard on yourself to where it takes away from your love of the sport. At the end of the day, enjoying what you’re doing is the most important part of everything. Try not to take the bad things too seriously and remember to appreciate the good things.”
Q: How do you handle setbacks or losses, what have you learned from them?
A: “When I was in tenth grade, I had a terrible tennis season. Terrible. It was very discouraging because I worked hard to get to the spot I was in just to be in a rut and not perform well throughout the season. While it was incredibly discouraging in the moment, it forced me to remember why I play tennis in the first place. I love it, and at the end of the day, my wins and losses don’t define me. From the setbacks I’ve faced, I’ve found it’s most important to move past them and not dwell on the past too much. It’s more important, in my opinion, to look forward and focus on the things you can control instead of the things you can’t.”
Q: How have you grown as an athlete since the beginning of the season?
A: “Since the beginning of this season, I’d say the biggest change I’ve seen in myself is trying to take steps as a leader on my team. Tennis is not like other sports that need so many people to complete a single goal. I’ve been playing singles since I was in 10th grade and always thought of tennis as a more individual sport, but this season, I tried to step up and create more of a family/team-like environment. This doesn’t directly affect my playing, but I believe it has helped me be a better teammate to those around me. The support that can come from a team around you shouldn’t be passed up for anything. ”
Q & A With Coach Jake Colledge
Q: What qualities make this athlete stand out among their peers?
A: “Bella is hard-working, dedicated and very dependable both on the court and in the classroom.”
Q: How have they contributed to the team’s success this season?
A: “She has been a great ambassador of the student-athlete model, representing our team, school district and community extremely well.”
Q: How has this athlete evolved since the beginning of the season?
A: “She has become more confident in her abilities and as a result has become a better competitor on the court.”
Q: In what ways does this athlete embody the values or goals of your program?
A: “Bella is a team player who steps on the court to compete while always displaying great sportsmanship toward opposing players, her teammates, and all coaches.”
Q: What was your first impression on this athlete, and how have they grown since then?
A: “When I first met Bella, I could tell she had potential due to her desire to understand the sport and the amount of time she was devoting to learning the skills that it requires.”
Q & A With Andrew Quinn
Q: What motivates you to perform at your best?
A: “What motivates me is my teammates, myself and my parents. I know I am going to be running in college, so I give myself the motivation to run as best as I can every meet. My teammates help push me to not give up even at difficult meets. I also always run for my parents, as they are proud of how far I have come in running.”
Q: How do you handle pressure in high-stake situations?
A: “Pressure is an interesting topic. During my sophomore year, I had a great chance to make States. However, there was too much pressure put on me, and I failed to make States. This carried throughout my junior year when I struggled to run well. But this year is different. Throughout the summer, I worked on calming my nerves and how to work under pressure. This year I have made sure not to overthink my races. I make sure to think positive thoughts and just run.”
Q: How do you support and motivate your teammates?
A: “The most common way I support my teammates is by cheering them on during workouts or races. I also spend one on one time with my teammates. I make sure to keep the younger kids motivated, as everyone starts somewhere. Throughout my years on the team, it has felt that we have not had a strong team bond. But this season our team has had a stronger bond than before. Everyone has been working well together and we all make sure to spend time with each other out of practice. “
Q: Give an overall summary of you and your team’s season.
A: “Our team’s season has gone well so far this season. Even though a lot of teams in our district and in the state are stronger and faster than last year, we still find ourselves competing and setting personal records. So far we are 5-0 in dual meets. My season is a comeback season. I have proved to myself that I have a good chance to make the state meet this year. I have not backed down from a challenge yet. I believe I am in the best shape I have ever been in.”
Q: What specific goals did you set for yourself this season and did you accomplish them?
A: “I set three goals for myself this season: Break my PR, make States and have fun. I just recently broke my PR at the Grove City Invite. I have been having fun all season with my teammates. Making it to States is my hardest goal, yet it can be accomplished. I would say I am about two spots away from qualifying, so hopefully I can run a good race at Districts. Even if I do not make States, I will still go to the meet to support my teammates that make it.”
Q: What advice would you give to other athletes?
A: “Something that I would tell other athletes is control what you can control. In every meet, there are going to be things that you cannot control like the weather, the spectators, and the course. What you can focus on is your breathing and your form. Make sure to focus on yourself before you focus on anyone else, because at the end of the day, it’s just you versus you. This can go for any sport.”
Q: How do you handle setbacks or losses, what have you learned from them?
A: “I used to not be able to handle setbacks or losses. I thought that whenever I would have a bad race or a bad training day, the next race and the rest of the season would go terrible. Now in my senior year, I have realized that setbacks are meant to happen. Sure, I will be frustrated if I have a bad race, but I do not dwell on it for more than a day. You are always going to have the good, the average, and the bad. Just like I say to my teammates, if you’re not failing, you’re not trying.”
Q: How have you grown as an athlete since the beginning of the season?
A: “Since the beginning of the season I have grown a little. I make sure to take care of myself, do mobility and strength exercises, and try to have a good diet. I have also made sure not to be too hard on myself or get in my head. From my high school career, I can tell that I have matured as a person and as a runner.”
Q & A With Coach James Dangelo
Q: What qualities make this athlete stand out among their peers?
A: “The quality that makes him stand out among his peers is that he is a highly motivated athlete who works very hard to be the best runner he can be.”
Q: How have they contributed to the team’s success this season?
A: “This runner has contributed to the success of our team by leading by example every practice. He has also finished as our number one runner four times so far this season.”
Q: How has this athlete evolved since the beginning of the season?
A: “He has evolved as a runner by taking his summer training seriously.”
Q: In what ways does this athlete embody the values or goals of your program?
A: “He embodies the values of this team because he believes in himself and believes in his teammates. “
Q: What was your first impression on this athlete, and how have they grown since then?
A: “My first impression of this runner was, ‘He can be a decent runner.’ But he has since grown into an elite runner.”
Q & A With Ellaina Saylor
Q:What motivates you to perform at your best?
A: “Holding myself and my teammates to a high standard motivates me to perform at my best. Energy and having fun is a key factor in our gym. These are both highly motivating factors when it comes to my love for the sport.”
Q: How do you handle pressure in high-stakes situations?
A: “I handle pressure in high-stakes situations by staying calm and remembering our goals and what I need to do as a player to achieve them. I remind my teammates our acronym of ‘LIGMO.’ This means ‘Let it go and move on.’ If we lose a point, a game, or make a mistake there is always the next ball in play to better our team overall. ”
Q: How do you support and motivate your teammates ?
A: “I support and motivate my teammates by listening to their needs and communicating. Our team creates a very positive environment inside and outside of the gym by encouraging each other to achieve our goals. I build trust with my teammates and focus of being a good team player which helps my team succeed. ”
Q: Give an overall summary of you and your team’s season.
A: “Despite having more losses than wins- at the end of the day our record does not matter. What matters is the District 6 championship game against State College. My has team created strong bonds and resilience through each match. The support for one and another turned each loss into invaluable lessons. I learned to celebrate each win and learn from each loss. We are in a very competitive division known as the Mid Penn where we compete with high level teams and play good volleyball. The season is not over yet; therefore I see a turning point in our future where we will battle State College and have a well earned District 6 medal in our hands.”
Q: What specific goals did you set for yourself this season, did you accomplish them?
A: “My goal this season was not only to grow as a player but as a leader on the court and be a good teammate. I believe I was successful in fulfilling that goal this year.”
Q: What advice would you give to other athletes?
A: “The advice I would give to other athletes is that you are not defined by your sport. If you have a tough game, practice or season, it doesn’t change your worth or who you are outside of the sport. Keep believing in yourself, even when it’s tough because that’s when you grow the most. Always be an active listener inside and outside of the gym, court or field. Be a team player and support your teammates to help them succeed.”
Q:How do you handle setbacks or losses, what have you learned from them?
A: “Handling setbacks or losses is a part of an athlete’s journey. I handle them by staying positive and committed. I focus on what went well and keeping a positive mindset. Also I keep practice and working hard, even when things may not go the way you want it to. This will contribute to my overall development in volleyball and life.”
Q:How have you grown as an athlete since the beginning of the season?
A: “I’ve faced mental toughness, confidence on the court, communicating and working with my team under pressure. Team lifts during the summer kept me physically strong during pre-season which led me to be a strong player going into our season. I am starting to understand the role of a leader. This includes team bonding, motivation, communication, problem solving, responsibility and most importantly confidence. These motives are what drives me to being the athlete I am today. Being a leader not only enhances your own skills but also contributes to the team’s success.”
Q & A With Coach John Saboe
Q: What qualities make this athlete stand out among their peers?
A: “Ellaina is a very talented and athletic individual who could most likely be very good at any sport that she would focus on. As a volleyball player, when our team needed an outside hitter for a period of time, she was able to step into this position and be very successful. She also stepped in as a primary passer for serve receive and has done an excellent job for the team all season.”
Q: How have they contributed to the team’s success this season?
A: “Her ability to step into multiple roles and most importantly, she has been someone that we have been depending on throughout the season to be one of our put away hitters when we need a kill.”
Q: How has this athlete evolved since the beginning of the season?
A: “Her development has been something that we have seen coming since last year. Her ability to be a put away hitter last year and make many needed plays for the team signaled to the staff what type of a role she was more than likely going to fill for the team this year. She has worked hard in the off season and the beginning of our season to become the player that she has developed into this year.”
Q: In what ways does this athlete embody the values or goals of your program?
A: “She has shown over the years that she is willing to uphold what it means to be a Lady Spiker both on and off the court. Ellaina is involved in numerous clubs and groups outside of volleyball and also does an excellent job upholding the academic standards that we expect of our athletes as well.”
Q: What was your first impression on this athlete, and how have they grown since then?
A: “When I first met Ellaina, she was a young ninth grader who showed a lot of promise, as many of our ninth graders do. Over the years, she worked hard to improve her skill in the game and today, she has become one of our go to players.”
