FEATURED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Parker Watts, Cloverdale

Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Parker Watts lets a pitch fly toward the plate in sectional action last spring.
Banner Graphic/JOEY BENNETT

Parker Watts is a senior at Cloverdale and participates in football, basketball and baseball.

———

Banner Graphic: Sports are obviously a big part of your life. What would your life be like if sports had never been invented?

Parker Watts: “I can’t even imagine what that would be like. As soon as I was old enough to be able to be active, my parents pushed me to be that type of kid and I just stuck with it. Here I am in my senior year, doing three or four sports a day.”

BG: What do you like best about sports, and what have you learned from them?

PW: “I just love being active and being outside for football and baseball, and being on the court for basketball. I like the coaching, and learning from other players. You learn leadership skills and how to be a better person.”

BG: You’ve definitely had a wide range of success in your career. Basketball has been highly successful, and the other two sports haven’t had as much success. What has that been like?

PW: “It’s a good thing. It builds character, to have to get through the rough patches in football and baseball. It makes you want to keep pushing yourself to improve your team the best you can. With the success through basketball, that builds a lot of character to be humble.”

BG: How are your sports shaping up this year?

PW: “We need to get football turned around [0-5 record], but we can do it. I think basketball is going to go really well. We have a couple of new kids coming up to go with our seniors. I don’t think we feel any pressure this year. The hard work we do in practice pays off. I’m unsure about baseball right now, with the uncertainty about the coaching staff. But things are looking good overall.”

BG: Is it hard to play sports pretty much year-round and still keep up your grades?

PW: “It’s a little difficult, but I get it done. Since my eighth-grade year, I haven’t ever been able to go home right after school. It’s a little difficult day in, day out, without breaks between seasons.”

BG: A lot of people who play sports as often as you do seem to get hurt a lot, but you have been able to stay pretty injury-free. What has led to that?

PW: “It’s been a blessing to stay injury-free throughout high school. I’ve turned an ankle here and there, like everybody, but I’m able to work through it. Shawn [Mattingly] is the best trainer around, and he keeps us in great shape.”

BG: What kinds of things do you like to do when you’re not playing sports?

PW: “I take pride in being in the cheer block for volleyball and girls’ basketball, and I like to hang out with my friends. We play Xbox a lot. We’re all pretty good at Fortnite. I’m with Jake Wilkes and Logan Abner about every day. My favorite music is rap, and I like to listen to Lil Yachty and a few others. My favorite type of movies would be documentaries. I’m really interested in what goes on in Afghanistan with the military. I liked ‘American Sniper’. I haven’t watched actual TV in a while, but I watch a lot of Netflix when I can. I watch ‘The 100’, ‘On the Block’ and I’m currently watching ‘The Office’ for the third time. It’s the best show in the world.”

BG: What are your favorite and least favorite foods?

PW: “My favorite is cheese pizza, and my least favorite is Hamburger Helper. I can’t eat that.”

BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do someday?

PW: “I would like to meet Mike Trout of the Angels. I got to see him a couple of weeks ago in Chicago, but didn’t get a chance to meet. He’s quiet, but he produces a lot. He doesn’t ‘showboat’ at all. He’s just down to business and is very humble. I think it’s cool that he likes weather, and he’s a great role model.”

BG: If you were to describe your personality in one word, what would that word be?

PW: “Caring. Most people around the school I’m close with come to me for advice, and I’m their go-to person. I like being able to help people.”

BG: What are your plans for after high school?

PW: “I’d like to go to college to play baseball, but I’m not sure which one. I would like to have a good coach who knows what he’s doing and keeps track of us in the classroom. I’m going to focus on being a middle infielder. I think that’s my strength. I’m not sure yet what I want to go into for a career, but if baseball doesn’t work out I’m going to enlist in the Air Force.”

BG: How have you supplemented your high school baseball in the summer?

PW: “This summer I played with the Indiana Braves, based out of Danville, with a lot of guys from Indianapolis and the surrounding area. It was fun and it was a great experience. It was really competitive, and I think I did pretty well. I was more aggressive toward the middle of the season, and that helped a lot.”

BG: Have any certain classes or teachers been most helpful to you?

PW: “Mr. [Karl] Turk with the Jobs for America’s Graduates program has been really helpful. It’s just all about setting you up for success in life. It gives you a lot of good life skills on how to find jobs. It’s a class everyone should take.”

BG: Describe your overall Cloverdale experience.

PW: “I love it here. The school is great, and the community is great. The support they give us is tremendous.”