Shreya Nayee is freshman who plays soccer and runs cross country at Penn High School. She has secured her spot as one of the top runners in the Northern Indiana Conference this year.
Have you faced any challenges in trying to play sports?
Trying to go to everything and trying to participate in everything to keep coaches happy, while also trying to keep herself healthy. Letting to coaches kind of decide where she goes on what day, and also making sure to keep her grades up and study/get homework done everyday. Balancing all the work and since we haven’t had a lot of homework yet. She wants to join clubs but it’s hard because she already doesn’t have time for anything.
What do you like most about playing our sport?
The team aspects, the culture of the teams is different yet so similar. All the upperclassmen make it so fun in both. Soccer she likes how closely knitted we are. In coss country, it’s definitely still a team but it’s more of individual because it’s running, more for yourself.
What skills would you like to improve throughout the season?
Soccer she wants to improve on communication and for skills she wants to not be scared to take the shots. She wants to be more confident on offense and keep her defense strong. Cross Country, knowing her splits, speeding up during different parts of the race and decrease her time.
How can your teammates help you improve?
Being more vocal when she messes up, let her know how to do it right so she doesn’t do it wrong too many times. She wants to know when she’s wrong. Having her cc teammates cheering for her helps her.
When you make mistakes, how does that make you feel?
It’s embarrassing because everyone’s watching and she kind of gets down on herself. In cross country, it’s very nerve racking. It’s more nerve racking than soccer, just because you’re all on your own. Soccer if you mess up, you have the whole team behind you. She feels like she has to prove her spot more on the soccer team than the cross country team, so going back to win the ball back and not just giving up. Soccer is easier to come back from your mistakes, cross country you mess up and the race is pretty much over.
What do you want to see our team accomplish?
Soccer varsity she wants to see go far and make it to state, for JV she wants them to continue winning games, and try their best to go undefeated all season. She wants to see cross country make it back to state, hopefully win it.
What role do you want to play on your teams?
For cross country she wants to be one of the runners that places and helps the team win their meets. For soccer, keep cheering on varsity, knowing she probably won’t get pulled up for post season. If she does get that call to help varsity during the off season, knowing her place and still trying to be her best self.
How Do You Stay Motivated During Off-Seasons?
Boredom. Whenever she gets bored, she’ll just play soccer in the backyard, she has to prove herself more and just keep working. Cross country she doesn’t want to let her team down, so if she isn’t working on soccer, she’s running around her neighborhood.
What is the achievement you’re most proud of?
Winning her very first cross country meet, she didn’t know what to expect with it being her first one. It was nice being able to win and proving her spot to the upperclassmen. Soccer is a lot harder than cross country. She loves contributing to the team and knowing that she helped with the outcome. During their first game, they won and she’s proud of the whole team not just herself.
Who outside the teams you’re on supports you the most?
Her mom definitely supports her one of the most. She gets her to her practices and buys snacks, equipment, and just reminds her to be herself. Her parents don’t care if she wins or loses, they’re proud of her. They come to almost every event she’s in and support everyone on the team and are always cheering for her.
