To lots of seniors at Four Corners Charter School, their sport can be considered their superpower. High school is both an important, yet stressful part of a young adult’s life and things may only get harder.
“There was moments that I was struggling but, the environment of cheer made me wanna stay because of the support system behind me,” senior Isabella Hemenway said.
Many seniors in high school face personal, mental, and academic challenges along with many rocky roads. Sports can be a powerful way to overcome these challenges.
“My sport is where I just let everything out and I get to breathe and feel like myself. I don’t think about my problems or anything like that. I know that there are people that look up to me on my team and I wanna make sure that I give them that look,” Hemenway stated.
Hemenway believes that her sport gives her the motivation and support that she needs to get through any kind of personal problems she might be going through.
“When I first started cheer I was an alternate, so that means I wasn’t on the team but I would be at practices or maybe like come in and do some stuff sometimes but, I see a lot of girls when they first begin cheer that they need help and things like that and I don’t want them to be scared. That’s my number one thing I want to always make sure that they’re okay and asking me questions and asking my teammates questions because we’re always here to help,” Hemenway said.
Hemenway has come a very long way from where she started as an alternative to now as she is one of the leaders of the Varsity cheer team.
“Recently I just got a tattoo for cheer, it says all in on me all in on us because if it wasn’t for last year and the people on that team, I wouldn’t be the person I am at the moment. I’m so grateful for those girls because they made me into a better person,” Hemenway said.
Seniors in sports have the opportunity to inspire younger audiences. Sports can positively affect students by keeping them on track and helping them become healthy and athletic.
“There’s been times where the sport has definitely been hard, but I was always pushed harder. I never wanted to quit, I always wanted to improve myself,” senior Damik Johnson Varsity football player said.
Discouragement can sometimes become a battle for many athletes, it tests their mental and physical strength. Johnson shows perseverance and motivation in his sport. When times get rough that only pushes him to work harder.
“Never downplay yourself, always try to better yourself no matter what the coaches say, they’re just trying to challenge you and see how mentally strong you are,” Johnson said.
Seniors can bring years of experience to the team. They include all the knowledge that they have acquired throughout the years they have been playing. This is the seniors last chance to show off everything they’ve worked through and too end off with a bang.
