FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Sabrina Leonard, South Putnam

Sabrina is a senior at South Putnam and participates in two sports, volleyball and softball.

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Banner Graphic: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?

Sabrina Leonard: “Sports are one of the most important things to me personally. I‘ve been doing them my whole life and have learned leadership skills, such as how to take control of a situation.”

BG: Talk about your sports.

SL: “Sports keep me busy and keep my mind off of other things. It’s like a release mechanism and is calming to me. I enjoy the friendships I’ve made and you’ll always have the memories to fall back on.”

BG: What’s the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you in sports?

SL: “Probably getting hit in the head during a softball game and telling everyone I was OK before falling backwards. That happened when I was catching and the ball went off the top of my glove.”

BG: What does your game day routine look like?

SL: “I get my uniform and stuff on, the we either go out to eat or parents bring us food. I spend some time contemplating what the game plan should be and relay that to my teammates. There’s a lot of communication about the team we’re going up against.”

BG: Do you have any favorite college/pro sports teams or athletes you follow?

SL: “I really like UCLA softball. They’re fun to watch as they’re all so in sync. I think it was Rachel Garcia that was a pitcher for UCLA. She was a beast and I wanted to be like her.”

BG: What else do you do at school besides things involving sports?

SL: “I was in student council freshman and sophomore year but I’ve not had a lot of time to do other things than sports.”

BG: What do you like to do outside of school and sports?

SL: “I love to do 4-H with my animals, which are goats and pigs. I enjoy taking care of them and getting them ready for shows.”

BG: What are your favorites in movies, TV and music?

SL: “‘Grease’ is a pretty good movie. As for TV, I like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and I really like country music.”

BG: If you’re home for the night and can’t go anywhere, are you a person that wants to watch TV shows and movies with Hulu and Netflix or stream something from YouTube, Twitch, TikTok etc.?

SL: “Probably both. I’d have Netflix up in the background while on TikTok. If not those, I’d be crocheting or knitting.”

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

SL: “I’d like to hike in the mountains. They’re very pretty and it would be cool to say I walked the whole thing.

BG: What is your biggest fear?

SL: “Heights or drowning. Heights would seemingly counteract hiking a mountain but it’s more like a gentle slope.”

BG: You’ve been placed in charge of making dinner. What’s on the menu?

SL: “Chicken pot pie with Pepsi or water.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

SL: “I have two indoor cats, Buckley, and Paaisley, and a Great Pyrenees that lives with our goats named River. He’s a big dog.”

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?

SL: “My softball bag.”

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

SL: “Bubbly. I feel I can make people laugh by being myself or just talking in general.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

SL: “The Smokey Mountains and Pigeon Forge in Tennessee. There’s so much to do there like whitewater rafting and the hiking the mountains themselves.”

BG: What was your favorite school field trip?

SL: “Probably the Indians game. It’s baseball, and baseball and softball are basically the same thing.”

BG: How important is support from your family and classmates to your success?

SL: “It’s very important. My parents push me a lot in sports and have had access to all the things I need, like pitching and hitting lessons and other stuff like that.

BG: Describe your overall school experience both academically and athletically

SL: “Academically I feel like it’s been pretty good. I’ve had my ups and downs, especially with AP classes. Athletically, the experience has been pretty good. I’ve had some of the best coaches I’ve had. I hear people talk about bad experiences and wish they could have had the experience I’ve had.

BG: If your school was to offer a class it currently doesn’t, what would you want to see taught?

SL: “Home ec or a life skills class.”

BG: What are your plans for after high school, and what career are you headed toward?

SL: “I will be attending Manchester University, majoring in elementary education and minoring in coaching, and would like to be either a kindergarten or elementary teacher.”

BG: Is it difficult to keep up with your school work being an athlete?

SL: “Yeah. Just keeping everything balanced and grades up so you can compete.”

BG: Which particular classes and teachers have helped you the most in high school?

SL: “My ag classes because of what I do with 4-H. Every teacher I’ve had has impacted me as a person in some way.”

BG: In the future, if you had your choice, would you want to live in the mountains, on the beach or in the neighborhood?

SL: “By the mountains. Not in the mountains, just enough where I can see them in the backyard.”

BG: Do you think high school has gone fast, and are you going to miss it?

SL: “Looking at it now, I feel like it’s gone fast. When I was in sixth grade, I thought I had all this time to plan for later and now as a senior, I feel like it’s gone fast. I’ll probably miss it down the road but right now I don’t feel like I do because I want my life to start and to do my own thing.”