FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Joscelyn Pilcher, South Putnam

Joscelyn is a senior at South Putnam 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?

Joscelyn Pilcher: “Sports are very important to me. My grades are the highest priority but sports are right under that. I practice all the time. One of the biggest things I’ve learned through sports is being part of a team and learning how to be a leader. You can’t just think about yourself; you have to know how your reaction to things affects other people.”

BG: Talk about your sports.

JP: “Basketball is my overall favorite of the three. Volleyball is a close second. In volleyball, I started my freshman year, having not played it before then. I fell in love with basketball when I played it starting in seventh grade and have played since. I played softball when I was younger but, as my schedule got busier, I stopped playing for a bit, picking it back up when I got to high school.”

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

JP: “I’ve tripped on a few lines before. They can get you.”

BG: What does your game day routine look like?

JP: “On basketball game days, we go out to eat, meeting at Subway and eat as a team. I try to get back around 4:45, put my gear on and get plenty of shots up. I play a game with Danae called Piggy instead of Horse. That’s how we warm up our shots before we get into a game.”

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

JP: “I’m a big Purdue fan. I’m hoping to make it to a women’s game, probably not a men’s game since they’re ranked so high and those games are sold out, and I’m going to the Indiana-Purdue football game.”

BG: You decided to pick up golf this year, which is not the easiest sport to jump into, especially as a senior. What was your biggest takeaway from making that decision?

JP: “Every year, it seemed like there were less and less girls in my grade coming back to play basketball. I knew since last year it was likely just me as a senior. I went and watched the middle school games to see how those girls played into their freshman year. The juniors are a group I’ve played with for three years, so it wasn’t hard to adjust to playing with them as I’ve been doing that for a long time now.”

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

JP: “I’m in student council, the NHS president and involved in FFA.”

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

JP: “I haven’t been able to do it as much since my schedule is so busy but I like to show horses. At the fair, I show goats and pigs.”

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

JP: “I’m a movie fan. I can’t pick one movie but right now, one of my top movies is ‘Christmas Vacation’ but I like horror movies like the ‘Scream’ movies.”

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

JP: “First, I would probably turn on the TV and find a nice, cozy movie to watch. Then I might hop on TikTok for a while.”

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

JP: “I would love to drive a monster truck or drive in the tractor pull.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

JP: “Clowns. Don’t like clowns.”

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

JP: “I would make a hot ham and cheese sandwich. Maybe a couple.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

JP: “We have two dogs, Winston, a shelter dog and Ruby, a Catahoula Leopard 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?

JP: “I’d probably get my Jordan Lows or my basketball shoes.”

BG: A family member has hit the lottery. After everything is paid off and money is set away for the future, you’ve been asked to buy something you have always wanted to get. What are you asking for?

JP: “I would probably an old square-body Chevy or a brand new, all-black Ford truck.”

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

JP: “Enthusiastic. I talk a lot and my voice carries decently. I can talk about anything for a decently long time and am always on the go.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

JP: “I had the opportunity to go to Ireland over the summer. I don’t remember the exact town but it was a countryside town where you could see the ocean, the town, the cows and it was very peaceful.”

BG: What was your favorite school field trip?

JP: “We went to St. Louis for our senior trip with a bunch of my friends. It was fun to go to the zoo and the aquarium there.”

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

JP: “It’s really important, just as much friends as it is family. Having friends that aren’t my teammates coming to sit in the stands and being able to talk to them after the game is a really great feeling.”

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

JP: “I moved here my freshman year having been at Jackson Creek in Bloomington before then, a much bigger school, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to fit in. All the teachers here have made me feel welcome. I have a good personal connection with all my teachers and know that they’ll help me if I have questions. Athletically, moving here pushed me to play volleyball as I was just going to play basketball and softball. Other people pushed me to do all three. It’s an amazing community.”

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

JP: “I wish we had our home ec class still. I would take that class.”

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

JP: “I want to attend Purdue University ideally and go into their ag school for agribusiness. I want to go into a career of selling animal feed or equipment and stuff like that.”

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

JP: “Some nights, when you get homework piled up and you’ve been on the road for a few nights, getting home late. You definitely have to learn time management and when you have free time at school, you have to get things done.”

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

JP: “One of my science teachers, Mrs. Hodge, is someone I’ve had for three out of my four years. She understands that I am a three-sport athlete and helps me when I have questions. My ag teachers, Mrs. Line and Mr. Frazier, have helped me in FFA and with time management, too.”

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?

JP: “I would enjoy the rural life. I have lived on a farm all my life and I’ve loved it. The idea of living a few feet from one is one I hate. I want that farmland and all the animals that go with it.”

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

JP: “In the moment before you’re a senior, you feel like you have so much time, but once you are a senior, now that I’ve gone through volleyball season, it feels like it’s gone decently fast. I’ll miss parts of high school; I wouldn’t say I’ll miss all of it but I’ll miss being on my volleyball team, my basketball team, miss being with my teammates and seeing the same people every day. Overall, though, I’m ready for the next step.”