Combining work and play, gracefully
By Jesse Cole
As she brings her final year of high school to a close, Grace Parke’s attitude toward the experience can be summarized in a few of her favorite words: “Work hard, play hard.”
A senior at Wood River High School with a 3.85 GPA, Parke has certainly done her fair share of work, and she continues to take a variety of courses in Government, College English, A.P. Statistics, Sports Medicine and Video Productions.
Work and play both culminate in Parke’s extracurricular activities, as she participates in varsity soccer and basketball at the high school, playing center mid and point guard or shooting guard, respectively. In both sports, she emphasizes her team’s mental capacity and willingness to push their boundaries until the last whistle.
“We’ve been working a lot harder, and we’re stronger mentally this year,” Parke said of her soccer team, who are currently in season. “We’re more of a team unit this year. We don’t favor grades or anything, so there’s no seniority.”
Meanwhile, basketball may still be a season away, but Parke is similarly prepared to leave everything on the court.
“If we work really hard, we could do really well, especially if we keep our mental game strong,” Parke said. “Basketball is a really mental game.”
While this attitude has no doubt shaped the teams she has been a part of, Parke considers them to have simultaneously shaped her as a critical part of her upbringing, having played soccer since first grade and basketball since fifth.
“They’re really important to me, because they give me a team to be a part of and a unit, as well as friends through that and teaching me how to interact with people,” she said.
Indeed, this love of athletics has also translated into an appreciation for human anatomy and medicine.
“I’ve really been liking sports medicine,” Parke said, “just finding out how the body works in different injuries. When people are, like, ‘My foot hurts,’ I’m always, like, ‘What part?’”
After high school, she intends to take this interest into an even more specific direction with radiographic technology. Before this future comes, though, Parke is focusing on living in the present as she enjoys the fruits of her labor resulting from these last four years.
“I’m just looking forward to being content where I am in the moment I’m living it, and enjoying the last of everything,” she said. “Also looking forward to what’s coming on, but being happy with my past high school years.”
Editor’s Note: Anyone who would like to recommend a Blaine County School District student for The Weekly Sun’s “Student Spotlight” feature should contact The Weekly Sun at
news@theweeklysun.com.