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Getting to Know: Payton Adkins

What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through Athletics?: One of the most important lessons I learned in athletics is nothing is given, you have to earn everything. It doesn’t matter that you’re an upperclassman or you know the coach or whatever you have to put in the hard work and time. The people that don’t and maybe ahead by given athletic ability will find it catching up to them as when the spotlight is on it shows who truly put the time in the dark and is ready. 

What are your pre-game rituals?: My pregame ritual is I usually eat my linner (lunch/dinner)  and I’ll listen to my pregame playlist and I’ll go out onto the court early and get some ball-handling and form shooting to get me ready before our team warm-ups.

Who is a player you look up to, and why?: A player I look up to would be one of my best friends and former teammate Kaitlyn Costner who now plays at Ohio State. We would train in the gym together and lift in the weight room. I look up to her and she’s always pushing me to do better, one more rep, add more weight, always hyping me up. She puts in so much work and time in the gym and sacrifices so much to get where she is even though she didn’t have the best circumstance.

What do you love about representing Penn High School?: Something I love about representing Penn would be what it represents. Not just the years of excellence, but also all the hard work you have to put in and how it becomes a family of your own. 

What traits do you love in a team leader?: Traits that I find admirable in a leader would be someone who steps up when it’s easy and hard, they don’t ask anyone to do something they’re not going to do, and they can have fun but serious when needed. 

What advice would you give a freshman about Penn Athletics?: If I had to give advice to anyone starting sports I’d tell them it’s a lot of hard work and it won’t always be fun but it will give you some of the best memories and friends so when it gets tough don’t just give up because there’s still so much more.  

What is your favorite sports movie, and why?: One of my favorite sports movies would be “The Blind Side”. I like this movie as it shows you anything you set your mind to you can accomplish, even when it seems like life is against you.  

What is your favorite pig-out food?: My favorite pig-out food would have to be Taco Bell. Some of my teammates and I will go after practice and get crunch wraps and freezes. 

What position do you play?: I play two positions: point guard and shooting guard.  I would say I’m best at point guard, though, as that’s my main position and I’ve been repping and playing that spot most of my life.  

If you can have lunch with any living person, who would it be, and what would you talk about?: I would have lunch with Simone Biles and just talk about what it’s like to be a world-class athlete, how her sport affects her, and the whole viewpoint of stepping down from her events this year at Tokyo.

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