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. Don’t settle for cheap knockoffs!
Our student-athlete this week is Reis Leonard — enjoy!
1. Please list all the sports you have played at B-U and what year you played them?
Soccer: Freshman, sophomore
Cross-country: Sophomore, junior, senior
Swim: Freshman, sophomore, junior, and plan to this winter
Track: Junior, and plan to this spring
2. What has been your favorite athletic moment at Buckhannon-Upshur that you participated in? My all-time favorite memory from my athletic career so far would have to be breaking the school record in the 200 medley relay at the State Swim Meet my junior year with Preston Bennett, Carter Zuliani and Owen Caynor.
3. Describe your toughest practice at Buckhannon-Upshur. What sport and who was the coach? The hardest practice was either doing 2, 2, 4’s for cross-country with coach Taylor Stacy, or doing a 90-minute swim practice and tallying 10,000 total yards with coach Michael Roessing.
4. Do you have a favorite saying from one of your head coaches? Yes, from Coach Stacy, “It’s a great day to be great, fellas.”
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 at B-UHS is my fitness and conditioning class taught by coach Eric Jett. I have this class with a load of my friends, and I like it the most because the hard work you put in lifting can show physically as well as mentally.
6. What is your favorite thing about being a Buccaneer? The team atmosphere during each sport. We carry a legacy on our shoulders every time we perform at an event, and we love to show the other teams what we are really made of.
7. If you were asked to play another sport, what would it be and why? Well, I would try to play football because my dad did when he was in high school, and I feel like that would be my best sport to try and connect to him with.
8. Who is your hero and why? My father, because of the hard work he has put in during his life and the success he’s had. I’ve been lucky to have life mentor like him.
9. What do you want to be when you grow up? I’d like to be a neonatologist; they specialize in the care of children in the NICU.
10. What are your initial plans after graduation this spring? To have as much fun as I can with all my friends and stay in shape for swim the next fall.
11. What question do you hate to answer? It’s a personal question that I tell myself, “Did I work hard enough today?
12. Who is the best athlete in your family? It depends on who you ask. My father and I both did sports year-round, each with different physical demands. I like to say me because I think cross country and swimming are the hardest sports at the high school level.
13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot? If so, where? I don’t have a favorite vacation spot; I just like to travel around and make memories with my friends and family.
14. What is your favorite food and one thing you won’t eat? My favorite food is probably just a spoonful of peanut butter. My least favorite is easily asparagus.
15. What advice would you give to a young athlete ready to start his/her time as a Buccaneer? Be ready and willing to embrace the hurt to become great at what you do. Always do more than your competitors so you can always have an upper edge on them either in a game or race. But mainly be coachable, be able to take the information your coaches give you and apply that to keep improving, and always work hard.
