Whether her ball is white, orange, small, or big, freshman Karlee Simonson just can’t get enough.

“I play volleyball and softball, but I also used to do basketball, track, and baseball. You’ll never catch me without some type of ball in hand, whether it be basketball, volleyball or softball,” she said.

From a young age, Simonson was inspired to begin sports thanks to another girl at her school. She said she watched this girl “kick butt in every sport she did.”

 Beyond this, her softball experience started right at CMR.

“Playing softball was a different story. Lindsey Graham inspired me to play,” she said.

However, Simonson is different than many athletes around her. Her dedication carries on beyond practices, and even beyond the school year.

“Over the summer I usually go to camps and open gyms held at the school and also practice on my own. Summer helps improve your game because you have all the time in the word to [practice]. [The] more you practice, the better you are,” Simonson said.

With all this time, though, comes many demands, shesaid.

“Physically, the most demanding thing is all the workouts we do in open gym. The most demanding thing mentally when playing sports is probably remembering that you have to be patient with younger kids or people who aren’t at your playing [level] yet,” she said.

However, Simonson said that sports have helped her create memories and make friends, and even through the challenges, she would never give them up. She said they have given her an opportunity to learn commitment and “the ability to have [the] drive to win.”

“Whenever you get a chance to go to a camp or open gym or any time to practice, you take it because you have to want it; you have to want to win.”