Everyone has a personal legend in life and sometimes an obstacle gets in the way that makes one forget what they were meant to do. In a classic book called The Alchemist a Shepherd boy who loves to travel realizes his personal legend is to find a treasure near the Egyptian Pyramids.
This book has motivated athletes. LeBron James has been seen reading this book during his championship runs. Legends don’t have to only be on the professional scene. A legend can be a girl who dives on a volleyball court to save a point even though it comes at the cost of a floor burn. It can be a cross country runner who gives one last sprint to the finish even when it seems like there is nothing left in the tank. Legends can be everywhere. Here are some of our legends in the prep scene of fall sports in Utah.
Football:
Player: Siaki Ika
School: East High
Position: Defensive Tackle
Committed to: Alabama
Personal Legend: Like anyone who commits to Alabama his personal legend is to win a national title and one day win the Super Bowl in the NFL. But before he does that, he sets on a quest to lead East to a state title when the Leopards host Pleasant Grove in the first round of the state playoffs.
Cross Country:
Male Runner: Grant Gardner
(Photo courtesy of MileSplit)
School: Springville High
Accolade: Won the 5A state championship and was one of the fastest runners in the state.
Committed to: Undetermined. He has been taking college visits but plans on serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after graduation first. His brother Spencer Gardner was a great runner for Springville and BYU so that is a possible school he will run for.
Personal Legend: I think Grant is still discovering that in high school many elite runners have a goal of winning state. Grant didn’t quite get there last year since the 4A winner Aidan Troutner happened to be the Nike Nationals champion so it was great to see him accomplish that goal. The jury is still out on what else he can accomplish in his senior track season and beyond.
Female Runner: Anna Martin
(Photo courtesy of The Daily Herald)
School: Lehi High School
Accolade: Won the 4A state cross country meet. Set a course record of 17 minutes 15 seconds. That’s faster than a lot of male varsity runners!
Committed to: Undetermined. The junior harrier still has some time to gear up for track and her senior season before making that decision.
Personal Legend: Use her talents to be a influence for good. She seems to be very outgoing with teammates and in interviews and will be a force for good with anyone she comes in contact with.
Baseball: Rockwell High School Boys Baseball Team
This might be a little different since many schools play baseball in the spring. However the 2A Boys fall champions just repeated and play in the fall so it doesn’t coincide with their other spring sports.
The award goes to this team for being a well coached top class team despite being a smaller school in an already small division. This charter school always strives to help students develop in every aspect of life.
In a nutshell all these athletes have bright futures ahead of them and hopefully nothing gets in the way of their personal legends. School, family and work and many other things come up in life but as The Alchemist says, “When you want something bad enough the whole universe conspires to help you.