Lucy Sandahl
The future is bright for Lucy Sandahl.
As a two-sport athlete who’s also proudly a self-proclaimed “math nerd,” she heads into her freshman year at Coupeville High School this fall expecting the best.
“I am looking forward to high school and what is in store for my life,” Sandahl said. “I look forward to making new friends and making more memories with old ones.
“I just want to live my high school experience filled with amazing teachers and people I love,” she added. “I’m ready to finally enter the world known as high school.
“I look forward to being a part of class 2020 and can’t wait for hopefully the best four years of my life.”
The South Carolina native, whose older sister Sophie plays for the Wolf soccer squad, plans to take on volleyball and track at CHS.
She enjoys the challenges offered by both sports and doesn’t play favorites.
“I don’t really have a favorite. I love them both because I experience two different feelings with both sports,” Sandahl said. “In volleyball I feel like I will learn something new every day, I will always work 110%, and I am always ready to work hard and learn something new.
“With track I feel all those things too, but I feel when I’m running no one can touch me,” she added. “I feel like the race isn’t about the people that are to my right and left, but the battle is between me and the track. And I love that feeling.”
More than anything, Sandahl enjoys the chance sports offers to find common ground with her friends and classmates.
“I love the teammates the most and I love getting to learn new skills and being passionate about something,” she said. “It’s always a great feeling when you’re in shape and you always feel good about what you’re doing.”
While she has natural talent, Sandahl also appreciates the time and effort one needs to put in to keep rising to new levels in their sport. Practice does not faze her.
“My biggest strength is probably the fact that I will take any task that the coaches or teammates throw at me and yes, I may fail sometimes, but I’m always willing to learn and fix my mistakes,” she said.
Maintaining a positive outlook, through good times and bad times alike, is hugely important, as well.
“I would really like to work on my mentality when it comes to competing and practice,” Sandahl said. “I always get in my head and become really hard on myself and I beat myself up about everything I do.
“So I just need to become more hardy and believe more in myself and I will be set for high school athletically and academically.”
Those academics are a huge part of her life, and a part she plans to put an emphasis on at the high school level.
“I want to start figuring out what I want to do with my life beyond school,” Sandahl said. “I want to really focus on school work.
“I am one of those strange math nerds though,” she added with a laugh. “Math is my absolute favorite subject.
“I don’t know why, it’s just I always go into the math room ready to see what scary, funky, cool lesson I’m gonna do that day.”
When she’s not plowing through class lessons or competing in the athletic arena, Sandahl loves hanging out with family and friends and exploring nature, going on trail runs with her dad.
Country music (“not like the banjo music!”) is her favorite, and she enjoys Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and many more.
“I know most people are against country, but hey, I got to stick to my South Carolina roots.”
Through it all, Sandahl has always been able to rely on those closest to her for encouragement and support, something she deeply appreciates.
“My parents have been by my side every step of the way (mainly because they have to be, but that’s the little stuff),” Sandahl said. “They have came to all of my games, awards ceremonies, performances, concerts and they will continue to no matter what crazy things I want to pursue or whatever/wherever I go in life.
“They were the people there when I rode my bike for the first time and fell over, they were there for my first sports game, they were there before every sports season helping me get ready and sometimes back into shape.
“They are the people that I have looked up to and the people that have helped me be the person I am today. And I love them.”
