FEATURED SENIOR ATHLETE: Kaitlin Welker, Greencastle

Kaitlin is a senior at Greencastle and participates in one sport, volleyball and golf. She is the daughter of Tonya and Matt Welker.

BG: How important are sports to you, and what have you learned from them?

KW: "They're pretty important. They play a big role in keeping active and in shape, as well as learning to work with others, not just yourself. You learn how to listen to coaches and not talkback."

BG: Tell me about volleyball.

KW: "I've been playing since seventh grade and before that in clinics, as well as four years of travel ball. I've been a setter the whole time. I enjoy it because it's a team sport. You have to play with all six players on the court. I enjoy the coaches and our team, especially this year, has a really close bond."

BG: What’s the most embarrassing thing that had happened to you in a sporting contest?

KW: "As a setter, there was a time the ball went through my hands and hit my face."

BG: What does your game day routine look like?

KW: "I go to school and eat Jimmy John's before every game. We usually sit in the locker room and hang out as a team, then start warming up and play."

BG: Do you have any favorite college/pro sports teams or athletes that you follow?

KW: "No, not really."

BG: As a junior, you were more of a rotational player in the lineup. As the sole senior on the team this year, you were going to have a bigger role from a leadership standpoint but the changes made to the lineup gave you a key role in the lineup. How have you handled the increase in both areas?

KW: “I’ve been staying calm and not stressing out about it because if I do, I feel like those things would be taken away. I’ve tried to have a positive impact on the rest of the players both on and off the court and have listened to and implemented what the coaches have asked of me.”

BG: What else do you do at school besides things involving sports?

KW: "I'm involved in DECA and French Club.

BG: What do you like to do outside of school and sports?

KW: "I like to hang out with my family, my niece and my friends. I also like to read and listen to music."

BG: What was the last book you read?

KW: “’It Ends With Us’ by Colleen Hoover.”

BG: ...the last television show/movie you watched?

KW: “Grey’s Anatomy.’ I watch it on and off when I’m bored.”

BG: ...the last song you had to listen to right that moment?

KW: “’The Way Back’ by Zach Bryan.”

BG: Your practice/event was canceled for the night. With free time in hand you didn’t anticipate having, what are you off to go do?

KW: “I’d probably get some of the girls from the team to go out for dinner or go to a game because we’d all be (at school) already.”

BG: What is something you have never done before that you would like to do someday?

KW: “I want to go parasailing.”

BG: What is your biggest fear?

KW: “Failing to get where I want to in life or reaching my goals.”

BG: You’ve been placed in charge of making dinner. What’s on the menu?

KW: “Hopefully chicken alfredo. If not, there’s always cereal at home.”

BG: Do you have any pets?

KW: “I have a dog named Millie and cat named Smokey.”

BG: If your house were on fire, all living things were already out and you have your keys, cell phone, wallet/purse etc., what is one thing you would go back and get?

KW: “I’d get my dad’s college baseball jerseys. I know they mean a lot to him.”

BG: A family member has hit the lottery. After everything is paid off and money is set away for the future, you’ve been asked to buy something you have always wanted to get. What are you asking for?

KW: “I’d get a big group of us to go to Hawaii for a week. Or longer.”

BG: If you were to describe your personality in one word, what would that word be and why?

KW: “Understanding. I feel that, no matter who it is or how close I am to them, I can understand where they’re coming from and why they do what they did, no matter if I support it or not.”

BG: What has been your favorite place to visit?

KW: “Hilton Head, S.C. We usually go there twice a year and stay in our family’s house.”

BG: What was your favorite school field trip? (From any year, not just high school)

KW: “Bradford Woods in fifth grade. We went there as a class and stayed for two nights.”

BG: How important is support from those around you to your success?

KW: “Very important. Without my family and friends that support me, I wouldn’t be where I am, no would I play the sports I do or have good academics.”

BG: Describe your overall school experience both academically and athletically.

KW: “It’s been good. I have a tight-knit group of friends between sports and school. I enjoy my teachers and classes.”

BG: If your school was to offer a class it currently doesn’t, what would you want to see taught?

KW: “More health-related classes. I took anatomy last year but I want to go into the health care field, so more in-depth classes.”

BG: What are your plans for after high school, and what career are you headed toward?

KW: “I plan to go to college, though I don’t know where yet, to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.”

BG: Is it difficult to keep up with your school work being an athlete?

KW: “Sometimes. It depends on how late our game or practice gets over. Procrastination also plays an important role in how much work I get done.”

BG: Which particular classes and teachers have helped you the most in high school?

KW: “Mrs. Coons, my anatomy teacher last year. She’s always supportive, willing to listen and offer her advice.”

BG: In the future, once you’ve established yourself, and if you had your choice, what is your ideal living situation?

KW: “Not super out of the way but out in the country, so it’s on its own, with a big house that we’ve built, a lot of land and a pool.”

BG: Do you think high school has gone fast, and are you going to miss it?

KW: “It’s gone very fast. I’ll miss parts of it, not all of it. I wish I could go back and take some things more seriously and other things less seriously. I would take it more for granted.”