Q&A with Crestview HS multi-sport athletes, sisters Amber and Savannah Jolman
CRESTVIEW, Fla. — A Q&A with Amber and Savannah Jolman who are multi-sport athletes at Crestview High School.
Name: Amber Jolman
Age: 16
School: Crestview High School
Grade: 11
Sport: Weightlifting and Flag Football
Years in current sports: 2聽
Team(s): Crestview Bulldogs
Other sports participated in:聽 Soccer and Softball
Name: Savannah Jolman
Age: 18聽
School: Crestview High School
Grade:聽 12
Sport: Flag Football
Years in current sport: 4
Team(s): Crestview Bulldogs and Madd Dawgs聽
Other sports participated in: Weightlifting and Swim
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Savannah Jolman: I鈥檓 determined to play flag football in college, and I鈥檝e already got 5 different offers from around the country. Most schools also have wrestling and weightlifting so I’d love to be a dual sport student athlete. If I鈥檓 given the opportunity to play past college in any way, that鈥檚 what I鈥檒l do.
Amber Jolman: My goal is to get any sort of athletic scholarship, and to see personal goals met and progression in all the sports I play.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?聽
Savannah: Getting in my head has always been a struggle and it leads to frustration with myself. I always remember to breathe and tell myself I can do it – just gotta tough it out.
础尘产别谤:听In weightlifting getting a mental block is super harsh when you’re hitting big numbers. To fix getting a mental block I usually put some weights on and not do the math or get on the platform without thinking about how much it weighs.
What was the best advice you were ever given?聽
Savannah: Have short term memory but learn from every mistake. Whether it鈥檚 losing a match, missing a lift, or dropping a ball – everyone will mess up, but you have to forgive yourself and forget. There鈥檚 always something to be learned when these things happen so turn it into a learning opportunity and never let it happen again.
Amber:聽In flag football the best advice I’ve gotten is 鈥減lay like it’s zero to zero鈥� because you can’t get too cocky when you have a good score and, if you’re losing, it reminds me you still have to put all your effort into the game no matter the score. In weightlifting the best advice I鈥檝e received is 鈥渁lways support your teammates鈥� and 鈥渄on’t suck when you get up there鈥�! 聽 Always supporting your players is helpful for the mental game. It shows people believe in you and that you can’t fail in front of everyone.
What do you love about your sport?聽
Savannah: The community. All the sports I play are relatively small so, win or lose, the girls are always amazing afterwards. I鈥檝e never seen more girls get hyped than when they see one of us struggling to move some weight. And no matter who you play, in flag football or wrestling, it鈥檚 such a sweet and uplifting community because everyone understands your struggles and how hard it can be to play a growing sport. Everyone knows everyone.
Amber: I love the people on the team and the coaches. Being in the weight room and on the field with all my friends is so fun.聽 All the girls are always having a good time and I’ve made plenty of amazing memories with them.聽 I love them all so much.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?聽
Savannah: Before every meet I get a 鈥減re-comp McFlurry鈥�. Before every lift I close my eyes and imagine myself hitting it. And before cleans and snatches, I always roll the bar out and bring it back to my shins. The one time I didn鈥檛 do this, I missed my lift at regionals.聽 So I do it every time. For other sports I don鈥檛 really have a ritual. I just want to keep the energy and spirits up. Making sure to joke and smile and tell everyone they鈥檙e gonna do amazing.
础尘产别谤:听The weightlifting team has a few rituals but my favorite one is getting a McFlurry and running back to the weight room because I haven’t weighed in yet. I also really love the wacky sock competitions and the bus ride playlist.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?聽
Savannah: I love to read. I鈥檓 a big bookworm. Digging into a good book always helps me relieve stress. I also play board and video games with my family. We鈥檙e very competitive so it can get intense but it鈥檚 always a great time!
Amber:聽I like to play video games and do crafts. Being in sports I am naturally competitive and when I’m not participating in sports I put the competitive drive into video games and I relax by crafting.
What has being a member of a team taught you?聽
Savannah: My coach would be proud that what I鈥檝e learned is you HAVE to trust your team to do their job. On the field you have one job, one thing you have to do. And so does everyone else. Don鈥檛 make a mistake because you鈥檙e worried they鈥檙e going to make one. And always bring your teammates up. Be a leader and be kind.
Amber: Being on a team I鈥檝e learned many things but I think the most important is that everyone has their strong suits and sometimes you have to work around them or with them.聽 Knowing this has helped me adapt as a player. I鈥檝e also learned that team bonding is so important – to play as a team you have to be friends with the girls you’re playing with.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Savannah: Don鈥檛 be sorry, be better. As harsh as it sounds it applies to every sport I play. You can be sorry all you want but you have to learn, train, and practice to make up for it. You can always get better, so don鈥檛 wallow in your mistakes, use them to fuel you and work harder to be better.
Amber: I’ve received a lot of advice, and it’s hard to pinpoint which is the best, but I think what all my coaches have said the most is聽 鈥淛ust have fun!聽 Win!聽 But have fun!鈥�
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.聽
Savannah:聽I used to let my frustration get the best of me in all my sports. When I messed up I would storm off and be super irritable and short with my team and coaches. I knew I could do better so when I messed up it destroyed me. Over the past summer I took time to work on myself. Meditation, as dumb as it may sound, before games helped me a lot. I really just took time to better my mindset so it wouldn鈥檛 affect my team and my play.
Amber:聽When I was just starting out in flag football I was awful at just catching and throwing the ball, and I couldn’t read the field. My sister taught me the plays, and some tips and tricks.聽 My teammates showed me the ropes and I fell in love with the sport and my team!
Anything else you鈥檇 like to add?
Savannah: Never let anyone tell you what you can鈥檛 do. And if they do, prove them wrong.
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