FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Kelsey Custis, South Putnam

Kelsey is a senior at South Putnam and participates in two sports, volleyball and basketball.

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

Kelsey Custis: “Sports are very important to me. It teaches you a lot of important life skills, like how to be in certain places on time or, more importantly, early. It’s taught me leadership and communication skills. Communication is very important in sports and both sports have taught me to communicate the right way with others.”

BG: Talk about your sports.

KC: “I’ve played both since I can remember, starting basketball sooner in elementary school, and have played some travel ball. Basketball has always been my favorite sport.”

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

KC: “Freshman year, in practice, we were scrimmaging the varsity team with my sister on that team. I turned the ball over and didn’t sprint back on defense. Coach decided that since I didn’t try on the next possession, I should run five down-and-backs. My sister and all the upperclassmen made fun of me the whole way. It did teach me to try and never give up no matter what.”

BG: What does your game day routine look like?

KC: “I get up, start off the day with a nice breakfast, come to school, get food after school as a team, do the typical pregame stuff and cheer on the JV players.

BG: You have been one of the few constants in the senior class in both basketball and volleyball the past couple of years. How have you gotten along with big classes either side of you?

KC: “From the beginning, I’ve connected with the underclassmen and even though I haven’t had the same amount of people in my grade, I’ve been able to talk with them, even throughout middle school, and been close to the younger girls as a result.”

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

KC: “I don’t really keep up with anyone.”

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

KC: “I am our student council senior class president, NHS, Pie Coalition and FCA.”

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

KC: “I really like to spend time with family and do random stuff. I like going hunting, fishing and outdoor stuff. I enjoy going to church and youth group.”

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

KC: “I like cringey love movies and sports movies. I like country music. I’ve been into ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Chicago Med’ lately.”

BG: Are you a person that wants to watch TV shows and movies or stream something from YouTube, Twitch, TikTok etc.?

KC: “As I don’t have any social media, it’d be movies.”

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

KC: “I’ve always wanted to drive a race car. That’d be awesome, personally, to drive a NASCAR vehicle.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

KC: “I definitely don’t like clowns. If one of them is walking towards me, I’m running away.”

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

KC: “My famous grilled cheese sandwich.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

KC: “We have nine chickens and a pond full of fish.”

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?

KC: “I don’t think there’s anything I would have to have. I might have to grab my favorite sweatshirt.”

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

KC: “Outgoing. I can go with the flow of things. It’s not outgoing in a sense of being influenced by things but good with whatever happens.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

KC: “We went to California a couple of summers ago. I got to learn how to surf and found that to be enjoyable while we were in San Francicso.”

BG: What was your favorite school field trip?

KC: “Fifth grade. We went to Chicago. That’s the last field trip I remember. We didn’t get to take a lot of field trips because of COVID and everything else.”

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

KC: “It’s really important. I personally need support from my family and I definitely get it. My family and friends are very supportive of me.:

BG: Describe your overall school experience both academically and athletically.

KC: “My South Putnam has been really good and I recommend South Putnam to anyone else. Academically, all the teachers are amazing, very supportive and want us to succeed. That’s really important, to have teachers that always check in on us and that means a lot to me. All our coaches are amazing and do the same thing. Coach Gardner has been amazing for us. South Putnam really has good people.”

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

KC: “Home ec. classes. We used to have them but they don’t teach them anymore.”

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

KC: “I’m headed toward nursing. I want to be an RN and maybe go up from there, to maybe be a nurse practitioner. I’m currently in Area 30’s CNA program and I love it. I would definitely recommend Area 30 to anyone who knows what they want to do and if Area 30 offers that field. It’s very helpful.”

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

KC: “Not really. If you have time management, you can get work done on the bus or before the game. There’s always time after practice; it’s just finding the motivation to do it.”

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

KC: “Mrs. Hodge in Biology. She is one of the nicest people I know but also a really amazing teacher and is always helpful. Mrs. Dixon is not afraid to put you in your place but that’s good to have in a teacher and she has been one of the most helpful teachers to me personally.”

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?

KC: “I want to live around here still. I don’t want to move out anywhere. I like the isolated country feel and I couldn’t live in a big city. That’s a lot of craziness.”

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

KC: “High school has gone fast. I don’t think I’ll miss it but I am excited to move on and see what life has in store for me.”