ROGERS -- Jamie Rains marvels at Amanda Sakalares' focus and maturity.
As many athletes choose to specialize in one or two sports, Sakalares has done the exact opposite.
AMANDA SAKALARES
SCHOOL Rogers High
CLASS Senior
HEIGHT 5-0 1/4
NOTABLE Finished sixth overall in the Class 6A state golf tournament three weeks ago to earn all-state honors and helped Rogers High to a state runner-up finish in the team competition. … Swims mainly freestyle for the Mounties swim team. … Among the top eight runners for a Lady Mounties cross country team, which should contend for a state title. … Should run middle distance for the Lady Mounties track team. … Sakalares’ mother, Julie, is the Rogers Heritage swim coach and swam collegiately at Georgia. … Sakalares ranks among the top 5-10 percent of her class of around 400 students with a grade-point average 4.18.
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She will likely finish her senior year with a total of 16 varsity letters in cross country, track and field, golf and swimming. That's a four-year letter winner in four different varsity sports.
Add to that Sakalares juggles both golf and cross country at the same time in the fall.
"To watch her makes me tired," Rains, the Rogers High golf coach said with a laugh. "When she tells me what she did today, I'm like 'wow.' You gotta respect that. She's definitely uncommon."
She finished up golf recently with a bang, earning all-state honors and helping the Lady Mounties to a Class 6A state runner-up finish. Sakalares finished sixth overall.
Rains pointed to Sakalares' maturity as what stands out about her. Despite all she was doing, there was no looking ahead that Rains could see.
'She was always in the moment, not thinking of what she's going to do next," Rains said. "There's so much to distract us today. She's so mature with her approach and you can tell she's thinking 'I'm gonna really focus on what I'm doing right here.'
"She's got a competitive edge about her. It's kinda just grit really. She works hard at everything she does and made my job as a coach easier, that's for sure."
She will now focus on cross country as Rogers will likely contend for a state title in two weeks in that sport, too.
She is working hard to keep up with her talented teammates, even though she's training alone at times. She was the sixth Lady Mountie to cross at the Memphis Twilight meet, the first of the season.
The senior who stands a shade over 5 feet tall and weighs barely 100 pounds started most mornings this fall with a 4-5-mile run at around 6 a.m. Then she headed off to school and then the golf course whether that be for practice or a match. The senior, who carried a 4.18 grade-point average, also must find time for homework. Oh and yes, sleep.
Sakalares said her reasoning for continuing to participate in all four sports is simple.
"When I came to high school I just said 'I love all of them,'" said Sakalares, who even played soccer in middle school, too. "And it's not time for me to decide. So I just went and dove straight into all four.
"It's draining but I just couldn't see myself picking one or the other. I'd feel like I'm missing out on something."
She also credits her mother, Julie, who swam collegiately at Georgia and coaches the Rogers Heritage swim team, as a reason she picked up that sport.
Her parents even had some concerns whether she would be able to endure the physical and mental challenges of doing all four sports in high school, Sakalares said. But her answer was clear.
"I did it," Sakalares said with a big laugh.
Rogers girls cross country coach Becky Efurd had the perfect example of what makes Sakalares special. The day of the state golf tournament the cross country team was doing the toughest workout of the week, but Sakalares showed up the next day ready to run.
"She was there ready to do her mile repeats and I was like 'that's why I love you Amanda,'" Efurd said. "That's her heart.
She may not be the best, but just with her leadership and her work ethic she contributes so much to the team. The kids realize, but other people don't realize what she does for us. And we miss her when she's not there."
Sakalares developed a passion for running in middle school when former Rogers track coach Jim Yurwitz noticed her mile time as a sixth-grader.
"He goes 'Hey, you know you can get a big locker," Sakalares said. "As a sixth-grader, we had the little tiny 12 by 12 boxes. All the athletes got the big lockers. He said 'All ya gotta do is run cross country and track. I said 'Sounds like a plan.'"
Sakalares got her big locker and leaves big shoes to fill at Rogers High.
Sports on 10/18/2018