FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Mcguire Lee, Cloverdale

Mcguire is a senior at Cloverdale and participates in three sports, football, basketball and baseball.

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

Mcguire Lee: “Sports are very important. I’ve learned it takes more than one person to make something happen. In football, it takes 11 guys, something we’ve learned throughout the years, and the same goes for basketball and baseball. You can’t do everything by yourself. You have to trust everyone that they have your back and you have theirs.”

BG: Talk about your sports.

ML: “I started playing football in eighth grade because my cousins were playing. I felt like it would be fun to play with all three of them. Baseball and basketball are things I’ve been playing my whole life and enjoy doing.

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

ML: “Freshman year, during sectional warmups, I got to dress varsity and air balled four times in warmups. The other student section was yelling ‘Air ball!’ at me all the time even though I wasn’t in the game.”

BG: What does your game day routine look like?

ML: “After school, I’ll go home and get something to eat, something like spaghetti or something light. I’ll pray with my mom, come back and start stretching and getting ready.”

BG: Cloverdale has had a considerable talent in the side for almost a decade now, something it doesn’t have this year. You also have a new head coach in coach Turk. How are the guys making the adjustments to these changes?

ML: “Right now, everyone is starting to realize that it’s going to take all five of us, that we don’t have that guy anymore and we have to play off each other. The first couple of games were rough but we’re starting to find out what each other does well, how to play together and together, we can do great things,”

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

ML: “I’m the president of FCA and the JAG class here as well as part of the PIE Coalition.

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

ML: “Hang out with friends and family, watch TV, play video games.

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

ML: “Music-wise, I like everything. I watch a little bit of everything on TV and my favorite movie is ‘Uncle Drew.’

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

ML: “I’d probably watch TV or a movie.”

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

ML: “I’d like to skydive. I feel like it’d be cool, to free fall from the sky.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

ML: “Heights. Face your fear.”

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

ML: “Breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage and fruit with orange juice and milk.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

ML: “I have a dog named Babe and a cat named Ruth.”

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: “My Bible.”

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

ML: “Hard-working. I feel like I’m able to battle tasks at hand and accomplish things, getting them done right.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

ML: “Gulf Shores, Ala. I like the sun.”

BG: What was your favorite school field trip?

ML: “The Indians game in eighth grade.”

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

ML: “It’s pretty important. My family pushes me in important ways. My dad was a coach for me in football and baseball, so it showed he wanted to see me success. My mom and sister are at everything.”

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

ML: “School’s been pretty good to me. It’s small, so I was able to meet a lot of people and build bonds on the field, on the court and in the classroom I’ll be able to have for a long time.”

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

ML: “Woodworking or shop. We had it a couple of years ago but I wasn’t old enough to take it and we’ve gotten rid of it since then. That’s something I would like to be in just to learn more about it.”

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

ML: “I plan on studying sports management. I have a couple of schools to choose from. I want to be something like an athletic director.

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

ML: “It’s pretty difficult but the past couple of years, I’ve learned to manage my time better and understand when it’s time to get work done or have free time.”

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

ML: “Ms. Meluch is our biology teacher and she’s helped me a lot. I didn’t even have her in class a couple of years ago and she still helped me with other assignments. Mr. Turk, our JAG teacher, and Mr. Nees, a resource teacher, are always there and have helped me along the way.”

BG: In the future, once you’ve established yourself, if you had your choice, would you want to live somewhere more remote, such as in the mountains, somewhere more flashy, down on the beach or in the big city or in the neighborhood?

ML: “Just in the neighborhood, like where I’m at right now. Something small and close to home.”

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

ML: “High school has gone very fast. I don’t think I’ll miss school it self but the atmosphere of school: the atmosphere of homecoming and the nights of athletic events. That’s what I’ll miss.”