By Peri Kahn
Being a student athlete is one of the hardest jobs that one can take on. Even though they are not payed, the responsibility of a student athlete is comparable to that of a working adult. With the correct values and motivations, students are able to excel and maintain excellence in academics and athletics. Sophie Ginsberg, a cross country star at White Plains High School, is the perfect example of a student athlete in that she has great work ethic and unbelievable records as a result.
Sophie has impeccable determination and dedication toward running even though she has only been doing it since eighth grade. In middle school, Sophie was trying to figure out what sport fit her best. She tried field hockey and volleyball but those were too difficult for her to get excited about. She said, “to play those sports you need a history and I just don’t have that”. That is when she discovered running, which ironically was her last choice of sport. And even in her first season of cross country, you could already see star athlete qualities in Sophie. Now, she trains all year round except for a couple of weeks in between seasons, listening to her coach’s workout plan. She runs Monday through Friday with supplemental core and strength training throughout the week. Even though she puts in a lot of work, there are days when she doesn’t feel like running and just wants to relax. When this happens, Sophie calls one of her teammates to give her a little pep talk to remind her how important running is in her life. And that certainly is true as running has taught Sophie many crucial life lessons. She explains, “Running has taught me discipline, to listen to my body, and to not give up when things get tough”. These values have aloud Sophie Ginsberg to flourish athletically and academically.
Additionally, Sophie Ginsberg has incredible statistics that reflect her fierce commitment to cross country. As a freshman, Sophie broke seven school records for girls cross country and will probably continue to set new times as a runner for her next three years in high school. She has the schools record mile time of five minutes and thirteen seconds, and the record three-thousand-meter time of ten minutes and twenty-one seconds. With as skilled a runner as Sophie is, there are many hours of training that must be done, so it is super hard to juggle school and sports. Well, Sophie sets a routine for herself that allows her to maximize her homework and running time. For example, she tries to get to bed pretty early and around the same time each night in order to fuel her body and focus during school hours. This organization does pay off because Sophie has great grades while keeping up with her taxing training schedule. All of this will hopefully lead to Sophie achieving her dream of getting a division one scholarship.
“I knew from the start that this is what I wanted to do” Sophie said. Ever since she found her love of running, Sophie Ginsberg has epitomized what a student athlete is by putting nonstop time and effort into her running and education.
Comments