Fifth grader Hailey Ziolkowski (10) followed in her father’s footsteps as she joined the basketball team. Since five years ago when she first joined, Ziolkowski has found her love for the sport through her friendships and connections with her teammates.
“I stuck with the sport mainly because of the friendships I’ve made, and it’s also a fun sport to play,” Ziolkowski said. “We all come together when it comes to playing, and we all just have a really good friendship throughout the whole team.”
This connection with her team not only keeps her interested in the sport but is also vital to the team’s performance. A good team connection is important to Ziolkowski as it helps her trust her teammates, leading to more success on the court.
”Having a connection helps you know where people are gonna be on the court when you know to pass the ball to them,” Ziolkowski said. “You know certain people, where they’re always at, so you always can rely on that they’re gonna be there.”
Even with a good team bond Ziolkowski has faced her fair share of challenges in the form of a shoulder surgery that put her in physical therapy for four months. Ziolkowski was able to start playing again back in December causing her to have to overcome fear of injury and get back into a positive mindset.
“I had to get out of my mindset that I’m gonna get hurt again. I had to overcome that fear when coming back to playing this season,” Ziolkowski said. “I didn’t play much as soon as I got back, but I built up playing time and got to show that I still have what I had before getting surgery.”
Another challenge Ziolkowski faces is balancing her two sports as she also plays golf whenever off the basketball court. The sports are in two different seasons so Ziolkowski splits her time which pays off as she takes lessons she learns in one sport with her into the next.
“It’s a balance, trying to figure out when I have time for this and that,” Ziolkowski said. “Basketball has helped me to not get frustrated whenever I make one bad shot, it’s the same thing with golf.”
Overall, Ziolkowski’s journey with basketball has helped her learn skills for her future and for her other sport. Ziolkowski has followed her fathers footsteps not only in basketball but also in gold all while still forging her own path.
