We are excited to introduce you to our next finalist from the #NextLadyLegends campaign! We will continue to release all the interviews for each finalist, and beginning the week of March 20th YOU will have your chance to vote for our NATIONAL WINNER! Read more about this campaign here, read ALL finalist interviews here and check out the action on twitter using #NextLadyLegend.
ScoreStream is ecstatic to reveal our #NextLadyLegend finalist, multi-sport athlete Alyssa Lester from Bluefield High School in Bluefield, WV. Whether she’s powering goals in the back of the net out on the field, making a quick drive to the hoop out on the court, or studying for her exams, Lester executes everything she does with passion and resilience. As a junior on her school soccer team, she has already recorded a remarkable 103 goals and 67 assists. She has been awarded Coalfield Conference First Team-All league for three years in a row, and earned the All-State Award in 2016 all for soccer. Lester has also earned three state championships with her traveling soccer team, the East River Raptors, who she’s been playing for since she was eight years old. The stats don’t stop there! Lester also averages ten points, two steals, and four assists a game as a starter on her high school basketball team. She has been a sectional champion for basketball all three years of her high school career! We got to know Lester and learn about her secrets to success in the Q&A below.
SS: How and when did you begin playing basketball and soccer?
AL: My dominant sport is soccer, which I have been playing since I was four years old. No one in my family has ever played soccer, so it was kind of a fluke that I started playing. My dad was a big basketball player back in his day, so of course he wanted me to play and I started at the age of five. Although I love both sports, soccer stole my heart because of the physicality and intensity of the game. Ever since I played in my first soccer game, I have never thought once about giving up the sport. I love basketball for the competitiveness as well. I am so glad I started out as a multi-sport athlete at a young age, because it has made me into the athlete and person who I am today.
SS: What is your favorite/most used app on your phone?
AL: I use the Pandora music app 🎧 the most because I love music and it relaxes me. It really helps me focus and get prepared on game day!
SS: What is your go to method when creating a scoring opportunity on the field or court?
AL: I am known for being a team player. I love getting my team involved in tough games. My method of getting the ball in the back of the net is a give and go, which is a quick, two-pass combo to get around the defender! In basketball I am a shooting guard so I have to make moves to free myself open for a shot. I shoot mid-range jump shots and make quick drives to the hoop.
SS: What female athlete do you think is changing her sport?
AL: Alex Morgan has made FIFA respect the women’s game of soccer. Her incredible love for the sport has opened the eyes of many to gender equality out on the field.
SS: You are a multi-sport athlete who scored 100 goals by your junior year on the soccer team and starts on the basketball team, while maintaining a 4.1 GPA. How do you balance everything?
AL: I was taught growing up that school always comes first, so I take my work very seriously. I am definitely not the procrastinating type and I like to get my work done quickly yet efficiently. I work extremely hard both on the field/court and in the classroom. I love challenging myself and keeping myself occupied. I balance my school and sports by pushing myself, and I am always open to learning something new. I do my work while I am at school, but once it’s time for practice, I am focusing 100% on my sport. I have to separate school from sports to keep from overworking myself.
SS: As a female athlete, do you think there are any misconceptions about women’s sports?
AL: Many people believe that women’s sports are less competitive than men’s sports, and I don’t think that is true at all. I have been playing sports my entire life and I’ve seen first-hand how competitive girls can get. It’s also assumed that women’s sports aren’t as tough as men’s. Women are as mentally and physically strong as any man. The only thing that separates us is our gender, not our sports 💪🏼.
You can keep up with Lester and her teams’ soccer and basketball success at Bluefield High School on ScoreStream!
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