By: Jayden Palacios
Sadie McAda celebrating a great hit. Photo Credits to TheFrontPage.
While discussing an outstanding athlete for this month’s Athlete Spotlight, there was no debate when selecting Sadie McAda as our first. Sadie is a division one volleyball commit to Southern Miss, she’s a four-year varsity athlete, and a senior student at PHS. Sadie has played a fundamental role in volleyball’s success this year. Her leadership, determination, and teamwork skills have catapulted the Lady Eagles into district champions.
To start, Sadie was asked the question, “What’s the best advice you’ve received from a coach during your high school years as an athlete”, she eagerly responded stating, “The best advice I’ve gotten as a high school athlete is to work hard even when the coach isn’t looking. Hold the rope for your team, your teammate is hanging from a cliff and all you have to pull them up is a rope. You can’t let go even though your hands are tired and you’re losing hope. Holding the rope means making sacrifices for your teammates and being selfless because that’s what will make your team the strongest as a whole. You’ll be able to fight hard in any circumstances, against the toughest competition, playing hard through anything.”
Next, Sadie was asked what her goals are for this year as an athlete, and she was prepared with a clear conception of her dreams. She replied saying, “I wanna make All-State, make the All-Star legacy team, and make it to the state tournament.” She’s well onto getting what she wants for herself, and her team. After high school, Sadie will be playing at an elite level of volleyball going to division one is a huge accomplishment, in which only less than 2% of high school athletes get the opportunity to play any sport at the collegiate level. There’s plenty of things to be excited for when going to play at the collegiate level, but for Sadie, it’s “The competition, training required to work for opportunities, and my coaches.”
Her values as a team player are evident in her responses, and with many members who hold the same ideals, it’s a no-brainer that her team has been so successful this season. Overall, Sadie is an athlete that can ball —enough said.