Addy Heigel
By Colin Anderson
“Sports have always given me opportunities to get out and just have fun.”
Bonners Ferry High School freshman Addy Heigel enjoys participating in sports as well as cheering on her fellow Badgers. She’s been a competitive gymnast for eight years, competes on the track team and also started on the cheerleading team this year. Addy loves to compete but also wants plenty of fun in her life, and the balance between competition and cheer has given her just that. “The biggest challenge I’ve found while doing sports is getting out of my comfort zone. Cheer has definitely given me an opportunity to break away from this and just have fun,” she said.
While she trains year-round as a gymnast and track athlete, there is a competition side of cheerleading as well that Addy has also come to enjoy. Her team is gearing up for state, and she’s hoping they can make their mark. “I enjoy competition season the most. I have been competing my entire life, and it is a big part of me and who I am. I am super competitive and love the rush of competing.”
Through sports and competition, Addy has learned many skills she can apply to different aspects of her life. She has learned to always give it her best effort, set goals and celebrate when you achieve them, and to push yourself harder each day in order to reach your goals.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it only matters that you tried your hardest and did the best that you can,” said Addy.
Just a freshman, Addy will continue to find the right balance of training hard and having fun. She’ll get her first experience with high school track this spring and is very much looking forward to it. Down the road she plans on attending BYU-Idaho and focusing her studies in the field of agriculture. For now, she’s content to push herself to always try her hardest both in the classroom and during competition.