Q&A with Niceville basketball player Anabelle Shackelford
NICEVILLE, Fla. — A Q&A with Anabelle Shackelford who is a basketball and softball player at Niceville High School.
Name: Anabelle Shackelford
Age: 14
School: Niceville High School
Grade:聽 9th
Sport: Basketball and Softball
Teams: Basketball – Niceville High School Varsity Lady Eagles (Travel ball 鈥� Crestview Storm)
Softball 鈥� Niceville High School (tryouts in January) (Travel Ball 鈥� Florida Stars National 16u)
Other sports participated in: Cheerleading, Dance, Soccer, Flag Football
Years in current sport: Basketball – 7 years / Softball – 10 years
What are your personal goals within your sport/athletic dreams?
Anabelle Shackelford: My main goal right now is to continue playing through high school and, hopefully, play in college.
What is your biggest challenge in your sport, and what do you do to manage this challenge?
Shackelford: Right now, my biggest challenge is being a 5鈥�5鈥� freshman playing against 6鈥� Seniors.聽 I try to play as big as I can and do my best to out work the older girls.
What was the best advice you were ever given?
Shackelford: Doing well in school will open more doors to colleges than sports.
What do you love about your sport?
Shackelford: I love basketball, because it is a fast paced game.
Do you have a pregame ritual you follow?
Shackelford: I like to take a nap.
If you could compare yourself with any animal, which would it be, and why?
Shackelford: A squirrel.聽 They are fast and like to jump around.聽 They are nimble and have resilience.
What do you like to do outside of your sport?
Shackelford: I like to spend time with my friends and family.聽 I like to help my brother train for basketball too.
What has being a member of a team taught you?
Shackelford: From being on different teams, I have learned not to put myself above the team.聽 I am my teammates biggest cheerleader.聽 Team chemistry is everything.聽 If you don鈥檛 have good chemistry, you won鈥檛 have fun.聽 If you don鈥檛 have fun, you probably won鈥檛 win games.
What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach or mentor?
Shackelford: You have to be mentally strong before you can be physically strong.聽 Mental toughness is key.
Describe a mistake you made while competing and how you overcame it.
Shackelford: When the game starts moving too fast, I have a tendency to turn the ball over.聽 I have to remember that I can slow the game down to set up plays for me and my teammates.
If you could eat only one food for the rest of your life what would it be?
Shackelford: Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich 鈥� no pickles.
Anything else you鈥檇 like to add:
Shackelford: My advice to younger athletes is to try to stay positive even after a loss.聽 Don鈥檛 be too hard on yourself.聽 I try to think of at least 3 positives after every game.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.