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FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Maddie Landry, Greencastle
Maddie is a senior at Greencastle and participates in two sports, volleyball and tennis.
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Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?
Maddie Landry: “Sports are really important to me because they help me stay active, get exercise and make me feel better. I’ve learned a lot of leadership, how to stay mentally tough and be active in the community.”
BG: Talk about each of your sports.
ML: “I’ve been playing tennis since I was five and volleyball since I was eight. The tennis team has done really well the past three years with sectional wins and I love being on the team. Volleyball hasn’t had as much tournament success but it’s been a good team to be on each year.”
BG: What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in sports?
ML: “Well, on (Tuesday) night, I was going for a ball towards the end of the set; I swung at it and it hit me in the face.”
BG: What does your game day routine look like?
ML: “I usually get something to eat, come back here, talk, get ready, try to keep myself focused and go play.”
BG: You mentioned tennis having success the past three years and volleyball not as much success, though the volleyball team reached the sectional final last year. With the team you have back, how do the successes you’ve had in tennis and the improvements in volleyball help you for this year’s postseason?
ML: “It depends on the draw but if we can keep working hard and together as a team, we can have a really good sectional and be ready for anyone we play.”
BG: Do you have any favorite college/pro sports teams or athletes you follow?
ML: “Kansas basketball. Mostly because of my dad. I enjoy watching the team and following them.”
BG: What else do you do at school besides things involving sports?
ML: “I’m in NHS, Key Club, FCCLA, president of FCA, part of the Putnam County Youth Philanthropy Committee and do individual tennis tournaments in the winter.”
BG: What do you like to do outside of school and sports?
ML: “I like playing tennis outside of school, reading and like being involved in things, especially at my church.”
BG: What are your favorites in reading, movies, TV and music?
ML: “I don’t watch a lot of TV. I’ll read anything and like rock and old hip hop for music.”
BG: Are you a person that wants to watch TV shows and movies or stream something from YouTube, Twitch, TikTok etc.?
ML: “I’d do my homework, listen to music then take a nap.”
BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do someday?
ML: “I’d like to travel to Europe, Australia or different islands.”
BG: What is your biggest fear?
ML: “Not getting into the colleges I want to get into.”
BG: You’ve been placed in charge of making dinner. What’s on the menu?
ML: “A salad, some rolls we have in the freezer, maybe mac and cheese and a lot of fruit.”
BG: Do you have any pets?
ML: “I have two cats, Piper and Driver, and a dog, Tucker.”
BG: If your house were on fire, all living things were already out and you have your keys, cell phone, wallet/purse etc., what is one thing you would go back and get?
ML: “Each of the kids in our family has a special box of accomplishments, things like old art projects, trophies and things like that, so I’d grab that. There’s a lot of special things in there.”
BG: If you were to describe your personality in one word, what would that word be and why?
ML: “Determined. In things like sports, school and other activities, I like to accomplish all my goals. If I’m struggling, I try to stay on track and get things done.”
BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?
ML: “I like going to my grandparents house in Kansas for Christmas every other year.”
BG: What was your favorite school field trip?
ML: “We went to Turkey Run in seventh grade but I felt sick, so I was in the educational compound. They had a nature center so I watched the birds, turtles and squirrels all the time instead of hiking.”
BG: How important is support from your family and classmates to your success?
ML: “It’s really important. Without my family, I wouldn’t have the motivation or gotten started in anything. I’d just be sitting around home doing nothing.”
BG: Describe your overall school experience both academically and athletically.
ML: “It’s been really good. I wouldn’t choose to go elsewhere as I love the small class size and knowing everybody but still having a variety of classes to choose from. Our sports have been really good, too.”
BG: If your school was to offer a class it currently doesn’t, what would you want to see taught?
ML: “AP Economics. I am taking regular economics and wish it was a little harder.”
BG: What are your plans for after high school, and what career are you headed toward?
ML: “I want to go to college, get a degree in kinesiology, use that to get into medical school and become a physician.”
BG: Is it difficult to keep up with your school work being an athlete?
ML: “A little bit, especially if we have a lot of matches in a week. We have homework every day and it’s nice when teachers give you extensions when they know you are busy.”
BG: Which particular classes and teachers have helped you the most in high school?
ML: “Mr. Kingma in all his science classes that I’ve taken. They’ve all been helpful because those kinds of classes are going to be important for my major. Mrs. Burkhalter with three years of Latin has helped as well as many of our words come from Latin, so it’s helped my vocabulary and with a bunch of other classes.
BG: In the future, once you’ve established yourself, if you had your choice, would you want to live in the mountains, on the beach or in the neighborhood?
ML: “I’d want to live in a small town, kind of like Greencastle, in a neighborhood but not in a busy one. A place you can know your neighbor, have a nice yard but not be on top of each other.
BG: Do you think high school has gone fast, and are you going to miss it?
ML: “I am. It’s gone super fast. I feel like I was in my freshman year just a little bit ago and now it’s almost done.”