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 Jaden Westfall — enjoy!
1. Please list all the sports you have played at B-U and what year you played them? Golf freshman to senior year (2020-2024) two-year captain; basketball freshman to senior year (2020-2024) two-year captain; baseball freshman to senior year (2020-2024) one-year captain.
2. What has been your favorite athletic moment at Buckhannon-Upshur that you participated in? This year in basketball going to the Rams Hardwood Classic in Strasburg, Virginia. We were able to spend time as a team and playing good competition in Virginia and winning the tournament.
3. Describe your toughest practice at Buckhannon-Upshur. What sport and who was the coach? The toughest practice I can remember is from my sophomore year in basketball under coach Travis Foster. It was the practice after Thanksgiving, and we did a lot of conditioning. I remember not wanting to eat much for Thanksgiving knowing we had practice the next day.
4. Do you have a favorite saying from one of your head coaches? Something that has stuck with me from one of my coaches is the saying “Stay in the Boat” from coach Jason Westfall. I have had other coaches from coach Foster and coach Keith Wolverton to coach Adam Squires, coach Drew Mason and coach Todd Lane who have all had words of encouragement for me over the years and I appreciate all they have done to help me be a successful athlete and young man.
5. What was or is your favorite class you have taken at Buckhannon-Upshur and who taught it? Why was it your favorite? I have had many teachers and classes that have made impacts on me over my years. But my favorite class was English 12 with Mrs. Davis. The class itself may not have been my favorite but Mrs. Davis is what made the class great. She always had a smile when I walked in the class, and she pushed us to be the best we could be.
6. What is your favorite thing about being a Buccaneer? From a young age, I have heard about the pride of a Buccaneer having many family members being graduates of B-U. With the good and bad and ups and downs, Buccaneer’s always have pride. You always know you have support when it is needed most.
7. If you were asked to play another sport, what would it be and why? I would play football. This is a sport that I played when I was younger, and it is something I had family members play or coach.
8. Who is your hero and why? My mom and dad are my heroes. Both of my parents are strong individuals and who make sacrifices daily for myself and my siblings. They have pushed me to be the best athlete I can be. They both encourage me to be a better man, my dad is a great example of this. They both give me guidance on how to be a better Christian as well.
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? As a young child, it was always my dream to be an NBA basketball player. I would still like to make it to the NBA but know the amount of work and dedication that will take. I would like to open my own business in the future doing something with cars.
10. What are your initial plans after graduation this spring? I am going to be getting a summer job to save up on some money before going to college. I would like to go to West Virginia Wesleyan to play basketball and get my degree in Graphic Design.
11. What question do you hate to answer? There aren’t any questions I hate to answer. I guess I get more annoyed with being asked if Jerin and I are twins. Or I get annoyed from time to time being asked by my parents how practice went.
12. Who is the best athlete in your family? If you ask each of us individually, we would all say it is ourselves. Just because we are that competitive. But that really isn’t a fair question because we each have different strengths and weaknesses.
13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot? If so, where? The Outer Banks is my favorite vacation spot. We have been going there every year since I was younger. It is a family tradition and when I say family, not just our family of six but aunts, uncles and cousins, over 30 of us. We are so busy throughout the year with one sport to the next that this is our one week of peace. I get to spend time with my family, especially my little cousins, playing with them. We also try to do a lot of fishing.
14, What is your favorite food and one thing you won’t eat? My favorite thing to eat is steak and something I won’t eat is broccoli or wasabi peas.
15, What advice would you give to a young athlete ready to start his/her time as a Buccaneer? My advice would be to take pride in being a Buccaneer. Keep pushing through your battles and don’t ever give up on yourself or the team. Things may not be going the way you want, but the grass isn’t always greener somewhere else. Learn to control the things you can and don’t worry about the things you can’t control. Always have a goal for yourself for the season and once the season ends, set your next goal. Be the best teammate you can be and be coachable.
