FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Andrea Nees, Cloverdale

Andrea is a senior at Cloverdale and participates in three sports, volleyball, basketball and softball.

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

Andrea Nees: “Sports are very important to me because they teach me life skills time management and how to get a long with others as I play team sports. They really get me into an atmosphere where I affect how others perform.”

BG: Talk about your sports.

AN: “I started playing volleyball and basketball in sixth grade. I liked both and stuck with playing both in high school. All three sports have made me who I am.”

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

AN: “I don’t think there’s too much embarrassing that’s happened to me other than my dad trying to do the Icky Shuffle in front of my teammates. That’s another story.”

BG: What does your game day routine look like?

AN: “It depends on whether it’s home or away. If it’s away, I usually stay with my teammates after school and we goof off, having some team bonding time. If it’s home, I go home, eat a light protein snack, get to the game early and mentally prepare myself for the game.”

BG: I understand you have been dealing with an injury that occurred during last summer and have been playing through it as best you can. How has that affected your preparation for each game and how have you adapted to it?

AN: “I’ve just tried to put what I love over the pain and that’s what’s pushed me to play though the pain. I love sports, lifting weights and being active, which overrules the pain in the long run. The pain will be there but the love of those things might not always be there.”

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

AN: “I love watching Purdue basketball. My family are big Purdue fans. I love watching sports in general. My dad and I will watch anything that’s on and that’s my favorite thing about sports.”

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

AN: *Takes out list* “I’m a PIE representative, I’m the president of FCA, secretary for student council and FFA, I’m a Citizen One news writer, NHS, school ambassador, FCCLA, 10-year 4-H member and part of the Academic and Me Team.”

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

AN: “I help with the golf scramble organized by the Mary Allison Jones Trust Fund during the summer. My free time, outside of school is usually helping out organizations, which is what I like to do.”

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

AN: “I love Disney movies, especially ‘Toy Story’ and ‘Cars.’ Right now, I’m into country music like Kenny Chesney and that sort. I don’t watch a lot of TV, mostly just movies.”

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

AN: “I would choose a board game, put aside the technology and play ‘Clue,’ which is my favorite game.”

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

AN: “I’ve always wanted to travel to every state and go to all the state parks. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and it’s something I feel I could achieve.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

AN: “Spiders. One-hundred percent spiders. I almost have a phobia of them. I can’t even kill one without feeling I will have a nightmare about them. It’s pretty bad.”

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

AN: “I make really good bagel with ham and cheese sandwiches. Probably a salad or some green beans on the side.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

AN: “If you count the 4-H animals, I have six dairy steers, two pigs and two dogs, Roxie and Milo.”

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?

AN: “I would get something irreplaceable like my brother’s hand prints that we have or his fingerprints; I have a necklace with the latter in it and a shadowbox with the hand prints in them.”

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

AN: “Motivational. I put my mind to something and I’m going to do it. Sometimes I have to motivate myself sometimes.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

AN: “Gulf Shores, Ala. I love the beach, the sun and it’s my favorite place to be.”

BG: What was your favorite school field trip?

AN: “We went to the Indians game in the eighth grade. I got to hang out with my friends and watch sports.”

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

AN: “Really important. Without my family especially, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I know my cousins look up to me and they support me. It makes me be better.”

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

AN: “I’m in the top-10 of my class, so school comes pretty easy to me, but outside of the classroom, school is a fun environment. School can be the best time of your life if you choose to have it that way and that’s the way my life has been. There have been a lot of things that have made school fun.”

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

AN: “Sign language. I personally wanted to learn it but couldn’t get a grasp on everything.”

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

AN: “I don’t know which school but I will get an undergraduate degree and then move on for my master’s in athletic training.”

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

AN: “I don’t think it is. I’m good at managing my time and have set times to get work done. Once I get back from things and I have a big test, it’s study time.”

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

AN: “There are three that really come to mind. Ms. Meluch is our anatomy teacher and physiology teacher. She helped me into athletic training and I love her for that. Mr. Varnes has helped me extend my fate and told me a lot more things than I would have found anywhere else. Mr. Turk has helped me with so many college decisions and any step or problem I have, he’ll come and help me.”

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 or the countryside, somewhere more flashy like down on the beach or in the big city or in the neighborhood?

AN: “I’d want to be in a place where there’s a lake not too far away to go boating, kayaking or anything like that.”

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

AN: “It’s definitely gone by way too fast. I’m not going to miss the actual school part but will miss seeing my friends every day, the environment and the activities we do and things like joking around with the principal and assistant principal. It’s the environment that I’m to miss more than anything else.”