(Originally written for the print edition of Oct. 23, 2013 The Oregonian, SW Metro Community News Oregonian Sports Spotlight – Rebecca Wenz 10-23-13) 
Hometown: Wilsonville
Grade/School: Senior, Wilsonville High School
Sport: Volleyball
Position: Outside Hitter and all-around Player
Team Name: Wilsonville Wildcats
Coach: Kristen Rott
Highlights of season: Being able to play a school season without injuries; sweeping Sherwood for the first time since 2007, (25-21, 25-23, 25-17); winning a tournament on Sept. 21 that Wilsonville High School hosted. We beat Lincoln, Lebanon, Tualatin. And my biggest personal accomplishment is in just over a year I have gone from having a torn ACL to playing ball without a knee brace.”
How I got started: “I got started in volleyball my sixth grade year. My mom thought that it would be something I would like and also something that would challenge me. So I did and loved it, I have been playing ever since.”
Coach’s advice: “Win with pride, lose with pride.”
Favorite part of sport: “My favorite part of sports is just being part of a team, whether I am helping my team achieve their goals and achieving a personal goal. It is always a team effort.”
Favorite meal the night before the big event: “Pasta or chicken dishes, better yet a chicken pasta dish.
Off-season? “No. While school ball is going on I am getting ready for tryouts for Pacific Volleyball Club of Oregon at the end of November. My club season runs from tryouts in November through Memorial Day. I also bowl on a league at Wilsonville Lanes, which runs from September to the first part of April. While this is all going on I start my track season around February which ends with State on Memorial Day weekend. During the track season, I participate in javelin, (for which I broke the school record both my sophomore and junior year and am hoping to do it again this year), discus, and the high jump.”
Rules to live by: “1. Never Quit. 2. Set high goals but not unreachable or unrealistic goals but challenging goals. 3. Remember you are part of a team. You can only shine if you help your team shine.”
Giving back: “I like to crochet and have made a couple of blankets for Project Linus and have one started now. I have in the past helped with tryouts at club with the younger girls and assisted with a group of girls a couple of summers again when I was recovering from surgery after I had my ACL replaced.”
On her iPod: “A lot of different things, depends what kind of mood I am in. I have Eminem, Jason Aldean, Rascal Flatts, Paramore, Fort Minor, Linkin Park to name a few.”
Favorite books: “My favorite book is the one I am reading at the time someone asks me. Right now I am reading The House of Night series by P.C. and Kristin Cast.”
The one thing someone may not know about me: “I have had to overcome a lot of adversities to keep playing ball: asthma, torn ACL, broken leg, and more bruises than I care to count. I am sure others have had to do the same; there is really nothing special about what I have done to get to where I am except for a lot of hard work and looking at the positives.”
What’s next? “College is next; since I want to go into veterinary medicine I am looking at colleges that have a strong science program. I am hoping to get on to a college track and field team to participate in the javelin. I am also hoping to play college volleyball. If I don’t make a college team I will find an adult league to play on. I may also see if there may be a place like rec center, club teams, or even schools that may need a volunteer coach.”
