lperrault posted on April 08, 2011 07:37
From intercepting a pass to scoring a goal to hitting a homerun, senior Alex Henry can do it all.
Literally. Instead of focusing on one sport like many athletes, Henry plays a different one each season, sharing his talents in football, hockey and baseball.
“I have been playing each sport for various teams ever since I was little,” he said. “The challenge of playing three sports is not having any time off to focus on just one sport.
“When one is over it is straight to the next with no time off. Also, some of the sports overlap which causes me to rush to another practice in the same day.”
Although this hectic schedule could be overwhelming, Henry prioritizes his activities to keep a balance
“I balance sports, school and social life by always having school and my grades being my first priority,” he said. “My second is sports and always making it to the practices and lifting when I’m not too busy with school.
“Third, the little free time I find, I spend with my friends or sleep.”
The senior has learned valuable life lessons from balancing a busy schedule.
“From playing these sports I’ve learned how to always work hard and stay dedicated,” Henry said. “Even when I am tired I push through it to work hard at practices and become a better athlete. This all applies in life for college and a job later in life.”
Baseball coach Jeff Stutzman believes the senior has many qualities that make him a unique three-sport athlete.
“Alex (Henry) has played on varsity for four years and is a tremendous leader,” Stutzman said. “He leads by example and is an all-around great baseball player.
“What helps him transition from sport to sport are three things: his attitude, quickness and speed. We see these qualities in every sport he is involved in. As a coach, you never have to worry about Alex.”
Henry’s mother, Donna, knows her son has made many sacrifices in order to be successful.
“He had to maintain his school work and make sacrifices in his social life to commit to each sport at a high level,” she said. “He is very determined and can achieve anything he has an interest in.
“Our family has always provided positive support and encouragement for him.”
After just finishing his hockey season and beginning baseball, Henry hopes to continue playing one of these next year.
“I am looking to play baseball in college, but if that does not follow through, I will play club hockey at Dayton or Miami (Ohio),” Henry said. “I usually enjoy whatever sport I am playing at the time the most, but hockey has always been the sport I look forward to most.”
Though his future is still undecided, he has learned a lot from being a three-sport athlete.
“I will never regret playing three sports because of the great experiences I have had,” Henry said. “Playing these sports has definitely taught me that my hard work does pay off, and I enjoyed meeting different groups of athletes and becoming close with all of them.”