Featured Athlete of the Week: Christian Zeffel, South Putnam

Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Christian Zeffel
Banner Graphic/NICK WILSON

Christian Zeffel is a senior three-sport athlete at South Putnam, competing in football, basketball and track and field.

Banner Graphic: Talk about your history in sports, and what you have learned from them.

Christian Zeffel: “I started off playing football in kindergarten, then I moved into basketball in elementary school. That’s about all you can do until middle school, and then I moved into track also. I’m a big fan of football and track. I think sports really teaches you how to be a team player and a leader, things you can carry on and use in life. It’s fun to get out and compete even if you don’t win.”

BG: You’re one of few seniors on most of your teams. Is that a hard spot to be in?

CZ: “It’s good and bad. I think it’s good to have stuck with something, but it also kind of stinks that you play with guys at a young age and then you lose a lot of them along the way.”

BG: What are your plans for after high school?

CZ: “I will attend college and get a business degree, and settle down after that. I’m going to either go to Wabash or Indianapolis. I want to get into marketing for a big company. The classes at South Putnam have really helped prepare me for the business world.”

BG: What do you like to do when you’re not at school or playing sports?

CZ: “I like to hang out with my friends and go places. I like to play video games, mostly Madden and 2K. I’m not very good at it, but it’s fun and I like to play. Today I went to the Covered Bridge Festival.”

BG: What non-sports school activities do you participate in?

CZ: “I’m in the International Club, where we learn about other cultures. We will be going to the International Festival in Indianapolis later this year. I went to Ecuador on a school trip last year and it was a lot of fun. When you arrive in a different country, it’s culture shock at first but then you figure it out. The people there were pretty good about understanding some broken ‘American Spanish’. They help you out a lot.”

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

CZ: “I’d definitely like to go to a bigtime D-I college football game, like at Notre Dame.”

BG: What is your greatest fear?

CZ: “I hate spiders, and I’m not a big fan of heights either.”

BG: What are your favorite and least favorite foods?

CZ: “I really like Taco Bell, and I’m not a huge fan of pork.”

BG: Describe your entire South Putnam experience to this point.

CZ: “It’s been fantastic. I love everyone here. It’s great to know everyone you go to school with, and you make some really close friends. The teachers here are fantastic and they really prepare you for outside of high school.”

BG: Have any particular teachers or classes helped you more than any others?

CZ: “Mrs. [Bethany] LeBlanc in English is great. She had us writing college-level papers during our junior year and that really helps get you ready.”

BG: Do you see yourself living far away, or coming back to Putnam County someday?

CZ: “I would definitely like to come back and be around here, and maybe coach, but I also want to experience the world a little bit.”

Featured Athlete of the Week is sponsored by: First National Bank

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