TENNERTON — In continuing to bring you the best sports coverage in Upshur County, the My Buckhannon sports department is pleased to present another edition of our exclusive — Raising the Jolly Roger With…
In ‘Raising the Jolly Roger With…’ the My Buckhannon sports department will interview a senior student-athlete from Buckhannon-Upshur to get to know them better and what makes them tick both on and off the field.
Our student-athlete this week is Ian Strader — enjoy!
1. Please list all the sports you have played at B-U and what year you played them? I played football my freshman and senior year. I played baseball freshman year and i have done track since my sophomore year. I have played basketball all four years.
2. What has been your favorite athletic moment at Buckhannon-Upshur that you participated in? My favorite athletic moment has to be tying the game up with a tip in with 0.7 seconds left to send it to double overtime during the in the triple overtime Lewis county game my junior year.
3. Describe your toughest practice at Buckhannon-Upshur. What sport and who was the coach? Definitely my sophomore year with Travis Foster as coach every practice was rough but we had one where everyone was almost throwing up and focused on defense almost all practice.
4. Do you have a favorite saying from one of your head coaches? My favorite saying is from coach Jason Westfall when he says “We gotta be on edge going into this game we have to go make it our territory.”
5. What was or is your favorite class you have taken at Buckhannon-Upshur and who taught it? Why was it your favorite? My favorite class was zoology with Mrs. Tenney teaching it. It was my favorite class because i got to sit and play with animals all day i had a lizard that was basically mine and would just let it sit on my shoulder while i did my work.
6. What is your favorite thing about being a Buccaneer? My favorite thing about being a Buccaneer is being in classes where my teacher says my grandma taught them in high school or they student taught for her.
7. If you were asked to play another sport, what would it be and why? Well it’s hard to find another sport to be asked to play but I was asked all last year to play football this year so i ended up playing and had a pretty good year. Other than that I believe it would be soccer because its one of the only sports I haven’t played before and I feel like I would be able to play it for my height and speed.
8. Who is your hero and why? That’s a tough question but i have to say my hero is my grandpa with how he has been through so many adversities in life and always find his way to make it through them. He also has been there for all of my games and used to take me to Wesleyan to play basketball on the weekends so in my eyes he is my hero.
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? This question always keeps me thinking i never have thought about doing anything other than playing basketball but other than that id like to be something involved in sports or something dealing with animals.
10. What are your initial plans after graduation this spring? My main plans are to be committed to a college but I would like to go and spend this summer going on adventures and playing travel basketball if I am not signed to a college.
11. What question do you hate to answer? I hate when people ask me what I am going to college for because i have no idea.
12. Who is the best athlete in your family? Obviously i have to say I am the best athlete in my family but my mom, dad, and brother would all say they are the best. My mom was a great track and cross country athlete. My dad was a very good basketball and baseball player which had a 40 in vert in high school. My brother was a three-sport athlete all through high school and now plays basketball at Glenville but i still would have to say I am the best athlete out of us all.
13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot? If so, where? My favorite vacation spot has to be the OBX. Me, my mom, and my brother have gone there almost every summer since we were little and I love how we just go and fish off the pier most of the time. But i would also love to go back to Naples, Florida even though i have only been there once.
14. What is your favorite food and one thing you won’t eat? My favorite food is steak, I love going and getting a nice steak for dinner. I will not go near a pickle. I hate the smell and the taste of them they are the one food i won’t even touch.
15. What advice would you give to a young athlete ready to start his/her time as a Buccaneer? I would tell them to stay on their grades. I would make sure they know that giving 100% effort will make them they best version of their self and they need to be in the weight room.
