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FEATURED ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jackie Scanland, Greencastle
Banner Graphic: How important are sports to your life?
Jackie Scanland: “Sports has been my life. I started baseball when I was three, and I started football in sixth grade. They have been everything for me in multiple ways, just not the athletic point. Both sports are mind and aggressive sports and have kept me moving and doing stuff my whole life, as well as disciplining me. If teenage guys are not busy, they can get in trouble. They also help me to think under pressure.”
BG: Do you prefer one sport over the other?
JS: “I love both sports equally. I have been around baseball longer, and I think I’m better at baseball. Football got turned around this year, and that went really great. We hope to do the same with baseball. With our new head coach [Ben Wells], and his staff, I think we’ll be much improved.”
BG: Talk about your trip to the Dominican Republic last summer.
JS: “I went there for six days last summer with the Michigan State baseball team. I had gone to a camp at Michigan State, and they invited people who went to it. It was a lot of fun and a huge opportunity to me to see the world and get better. It’s amazing how good the kids are there at baseball. We played on some rough fields; they had rocks everywhere, but the Dominican kids see it all the time and don’t use it as an excuse like we do here in the U.S.”
BG: One of your most distinguishing characteristics is your long hair. When is the last time you got a haircut?
JS: “I get it trimmed every now and then, but I haven’t had a full haircut for about 2.5 years. It’s kind of my trademark thing; I just like having it. I don’t pull any strength from it, but maybe a little bit of extra swag. After football practice every day I thought I was going to have to cut it, because the helmet was ruining it.”
BG: What are your future plans?
JS: “I am deciding between Indiana-Kokomo, Franklin and Marian. I am going to major in business, and maybe come back and run my dad’s business [Jack’s Trash Service] if I can’t play professional baseball. My top choice would be IU-Kokomo. I really want to play baseball there. The 2018 season will be their first season, and that would be cool.”