It’s Friday night at Liberty North High School, and the student section has filled the stands as both football teams line up. The theme was powder blue and the Spirit Leaders led an opening chant with the cheerleaders. The game ended with a score of 12-7.
Athletes spent large amounts of time training and competing, some for their entire four-year high school career. Graduation, on May 10, will mark an end to some athletic playing time while others will continue.
“You develop a stronger, more determined mindset when you go through tough moments in a sport,” senior Brooks Ragland said.
Ragland said football helped him build his mental health strength through challenges on the field. He is committed to Northern Iowa to play and he also intends to major in Electrical Engineering.
“I met more people, built strong relationships and learned how to be there for others,” Rangland said.
While Ragland learned from his high school football career, senior Shae Mortimer was shaped the most by her swim experience.
“Swimming made me a better person. I developed leadership skills, communication skills and met some of my best friends,” Moritmer said.
Mortimer participated in high school swimming all four years and plans to attend college and major in Health Sciences. Even though she will not continue to swim, she hopes to use the skills she learned on the team to pursue Speech and Language Pathology and work with children.
“My coach, Mr. Murphy, has impacted me the most. He always encouraged me to do my best and to never give up when it gets hard. Tough practices make you stronger,” Mortimer said.
Senior Lilly Breeden has spent her time on the mat wrestling. She plans to attend Simpson College in Iowa and continue her sport.
“I treat everything as a lesson. If I lose, I know I’m getting better from it as long as I try my hardest,” Breeden said.
Breeden said that wrestling taught her to learn from setbacks. She wants to become a veterinarian, which requires additional schooling. Sports influenced her approach to college and her career goals.
“Wrestling taught me independence while still being part of a team, and it helped me become more self-disciplined,” Breeden said.
All three of these seniors praise their coaches and teammates for their future endeavors, but they also give credit to their teachers as well. With a hectic athletic schedule, there were many days these athletes had to miss classes.
“Teachers helped me out; they gave me extra time if I needed it, so sports never really affected my academics,” Ragland said.
He said balancing athletics and schoolwork required planning, and the support from teachers helped him stay on track academically. He plans to take that same approach to managing college coursework, although they all know it will be harder.
“College competition is tougher. Everyone there has worked hard to get there, and it’s almost like a job,” Breeden said.
