Featured Athlete of the Week – Emily Martindale – Ancaster

Emily is a grade 9 student who came into Ancaster this  September, and quickly made an impression on her coaches, teachers, and peers. Her incredible skill on the basketball court could not be denied, and Emily quickly became a key player on the Senior Girls Basketball team  as their primary ball handler.   Opposing coaches had no choice but to put their best defender on to guard her, which is a testament to her skill level and a huge compliment for a young grade 9 player.  Her love for the game extends outside Ancaster High, where she has developed her skills with the Transway and BluStar rep programs.  Most notably, Emily’s incredible skill and commitment to the game has been rewarded a has she earned a position to play on Team Ontario this summer.

Emily’s athleticism extends well beyond the basketball court.  She has immersed herself into our Athletics program, and has proven her versatility as an athlete by not only participating on, but as a key player on the volleyball, water polo, rowing, soccer, and track teams.  That would be 6 major sports in grade 9 alone, on top of her provincial basketball involvement outside of school!  To say that is impressive would be an understatement.

Coaches describe Emily as highly motivated, competitive, and an absolute pleasure to coach. A team player with strong leadership skills both on and off the playing field. Her  sport performance teacher was blown away by Emily’s athleticism, and was impressed with her ability to go head to head with any athlete in the class, male or female.

She is highly motivated with a skill set beyond her years, but one she has earned with hard work and determination.  What is even more endearing about Emily is her humble and modest personality. If you pass Emily in the halls, she is just a regular  grade 9 student, but one that always seems to have a big smile on her face.

Emily personifies what it means to be a true student athlete.  She is self motivated with high expectations of herself.  Mature beyond her years, her coaches and teachers have been consistently impressed with her ability to balance her academics with her intense athletic involvement by consistently maintaining honour level grades. Highly impressive for a 14 year old!

Emily is an inspiring young woman and we  are looking  forward to watching her grow and develop over the next 4 years. Congratulations Emily an a well deserved honour!