Ema Smith (front) and Sarah Wright, the future of Wolf softball. (Photos courtesy Ema Smith)
“They ain’t ever going to find that ball, baby!!”
Ema Smith is living the Peter Pan life.
The exuberant three-sport athlete, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School in the fall, is fairly new to Whidbey Island, but her bubbly personality and strong athletic skills have already won her a fan club.
It all comes from embracing the philosophy of her favorite film.
“It’s true! Nobody really wants to grow up,” Smith said. “Like why would you, if you could just stay a kid.”
Smith, who is currently playing softball with the South Central Sox little league softball squad, which includes fellow CMS rising stars Sarah Wright, Veronica Crownover and Tamika Nastali, moved to town when her dad was hired as a deputy fire chief.
From the moment she arrived, she jumped full-bore into things, playing basketball for CMS and finding new companions.
“I enjoy making new friends and getting to know them,” Smith said. “Because the more you get to know them, the more you will have a good friend in the future.”
She plans to suit up for soccer, basketball and softball next year, and, while the last two sports are her favorites (“I grew up playing both, so I’ve gotten pretty good at both”), Smith wants to be successful at everything she tries.
“I think once I have a struggle I keep trying harder and harder to get over them and keep getting better instead of just quitting,” she said.
“I would love to be on the varsity team for ever sport I play because I believe the better you do in high school sports the better the chance colleges will pick you for their school.”
One area she wants to work on as she transitions into high school sports is meshing well with her future teammates.
“Being able to communicate with my teammates, without us getting mad at each other, because it takes both of us off our game,” Smith said.
Away from the athletic stage, she enjoys history class (“You get to learn what made your country the way it is and the way everything works”) and listens to a wide range of music, from country to rap.
“The way I spend my free time usually involves friends or family, like just hanging out or even hiking,” Smith said.
Family is huge for her, with the women in her life having made a big impact on shaping her personality.
“My mom has always been a huge influence in my life, telling me what’s wrong and what’s right, but also being a really good friend when I need one,” Smith said.
“My older sister Jessica, she has always been like a mother when my mom was not there,” she added. “She is 10 years older than me, so I have always had that older influence in my life, but she has been a very big role model in my life by the way she acts and the way she always has the best to say about someone.
“She has always told me being positive is the best way to be.”
