By Araceli Galarza Posted March 20, 2020
Being a student-athlete is quite a challenge. Not only do you have to practice constantly, but you have all the pressures of keeping up one’s grades and maintaining a healthy social life; you have to worry about work and much, much more. For the Student-Athlete Issue, Carly Capellen, this is her daily life.
Carly has been involved in sports since she was young: she played soccer, volleyball, and basketball, but by the time she got up to high school, she settled for volleyball and basketball.
“Volleyball is my favorite. I like the speed and how it challenges you mentally when you make mistakes, and it’s hard not get into your head,” said Capellen. “Sports offer you a lot of leadership skills that you have to use in the real world. It’s a lot of communicating with other people.”
With basketball and volleyball, both being in different seasons of high school, Carly can only catch a break during spring sports. She tends to fill her time with constant naps and spending time with family. Her love of sports stems from her love of family and what inspires her. Especially her parents, Nikki and Jereme Capellen.
“My parents are my biggest inspiration; they are really supportive,” said Capellen. “They go to all my games, they travel everywhere, and always push me to do my best. We also go on a lot of trips together as a family. We go around the country to Colorado and Oregon.”
Most people assume that for student-athletes, sports are the most important thing, but for Carly, sports come second to her schooling. She is focused and dedicated and has a very impressive academic record. She is enrolled in AP Biology, Calculus, and is taking college courses through the local community college, GBC. AP Biology teacher Michele Doyle spoke about Carly’s dedication to her studies.
“Carly is a well-deserving student! As an honors student, Carly is diligent in her studies,” said Doyle. “She pays attention to lectures and gets right to work when time is given. She’s great at synthesizing complex topics and always willing to help out if needed.”
In preparation for college, Carly was awarded the ACT freshman scholarship to the University of Reno, Nevada, where she plans to go after high school. This scholarship is offered to students who have excelled in high school and who plan to go to UNR. There she will pursue her career.
“I plan to work over the summer and move to Reno in August,” explained Capellen. “I want to pursue a career in the medical field, and I feel like sports have helped me build up my character and work hard, which are both important things you need in that field. My brother Peyton is already attending UNR, so I feel like that will make the transition in August easier.”
Carly has left a lasting impression on her basketball team. Dedication and perseverance went a long way. She worked her way through all the teams, starting out on freshmen her freshman year and moving up to JV her sophomore year, and finally finishing out on varsity for her junior and senior years. The varsity basketball coach, Melanie Thurmond, spoke highly about Carly.
“Carly was chosen as one of our captains this year as a second-year varsity player,” said Thurmond. “She will be greatly missed as she always came to practice with a good attitude and always worked hard. She started several games for us this year and shot the three balls really well.”
Carly’s high school career is coming to an end, but the memories that Carly had in her four years at Lowry High School will follow her until she’s old and grey.
“The best part of high school was probably all of the amazing memories and friendships I’ve made and playing sports,” said Capellen. “I’ve played sports with all my friends, and we’ve all grown together.”
