Madilyn Whittaker shares her love of competition between two sports, basketball and tennis. “They challenge me physically and mentally. I love the thrill of competition,” she says.
Madilyn is a junior at Altus High School. She is a shooting guard on her basketball team and plays both singles and doubles in tennis. “My favorite part of being a shooting guard is taking crucial shots and pushing myself under pressure. In tennis I love playing singles because it allows me to test my resilience by carrying myself through tough moments,” she said.
She has learned valuable lessons from playing both basketball and tennis. “Basketball taught me the importance of teamwork and communication, which I use in my daily life. Basketball and tennis both taught me problem-solving skills, greater focus, and self-love. I have to figure out what’s happening in front of me, respond quickly, trust myself and not beat myself up for every wrong outcome,” says Madilyn.
Part of being on a team is learning to rely on and learn from those around you. “My teammate, Parish Norfleet has left the biggest impression on me. She went through a severe injury her senior year, fought through it, and then came back better than ever,” she said.
“My favorite part about representing my high school as an athlete is the pride I feel wearing our school colors and knowing that I am a part of something bigger than myself. My favorite memory is from basketball winning the district championship last year, it was such a team effort and we worked so hard to get there,” said Madilyn.
The ‘Thundergirls’ was the first basketball team Madilyn played for. She was seven when her mom signed her up to play in a city league. She was five and living in Enid when her mom encouraged her to start playing tennis.
“My mom has always pushed me to get involved and try new things. My mom inspires me because she is the strongest person I know. She always supports me no matter what. For my next vacation I want to go to Iceland with my mom. We want to see the Northern lights and have spa days,” says Madilyn.
On a final note, Madilyn wants to shoutout to her dad. She says he always gives her the BEST constructive criticism!
