By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
Jennica Martinson is a senior at Green Bay Southwest High School.
She ran cross country for two years and will play her fourth year of softball next spring.
In her spare time, Martinson likes to play the saxophone, attend math meets and spend time with family and friends.
She plans to attend Purdue University to study civil engineering.
Name: Jennica Martinson
Nickname: Jenn
School: Green Bay Southwest
Sports: Cross country, softball
Parents: Tracey and Jeffrey
Is there a story behind your first name?
“I’ve never met another person named Jennica. I think my mom heard the name one day when she was pregnant with me, and that’s what she named me.”
Tell me about your family.
“My older sister Abigail is a sophomore at UW-Madison, my younger sister Brinnia is an eighth-grader, my mom graduated from Ashwaubenon and my dad went to De Pere.”
Do you come from a sports family?
“Abigail didn’t play high school sports, but she plays summer softball. Brinnia plays a lot of softball and volleyball, my mom played softball and my dad played football and maybe baseball.”
Did you ever do other sports at Southwest?
“My freshman and sophomore year, I played volleyball.”
Is there one sport you wish you had done at Southwest?
“I wish I had done cross country from the beginning. Soccer would have been fun, too.”
What was it like having Dylan Grimsrud as your cross country coach?
“This was his first year as coach, so we learned as we went. I totally loved him as a coach – he knew when to push you and took the time to learn about each runner.”
Do you have a most memorable sports moment?
“It was at the Fox River Classic Conference meet [Oct. 17]. Turning the corner to go to the finish line – it was the last time I’d be participating in a high school cross country meet.”
An embarrassing one?
“Totally missing a pop fly in softball – I’ve been hit in the face.”
What is something about you most people don’t know?
“I always try to push myself, and I’m a very competitive person. I’m constantly trying to see if I can better myself.”
Does a favorite family vacation come to mind?
“We went to Hawaii two spring breaks ago. My aunt lives there – we were able to be on vacation but spend time with her.”
Do you have any advice for next year’s seniors?
“What you do and the people you talk to, the way you treat everyone, has an impact on their lives. Consciously be thinking about how your actions affect other people.
What would your dream job be?
“To be able to mix civil engineering and architecture. I would love to own an architecture company and be able to both design houses, check them and approve them.”
What three words describe you?
“Driven, passionate, funny.”
What will you miss about Southwest?
“The teachers, coaches and the atmosphere. Everyone knows everyone.”
Favorites
Food: Tacos
Sport to watch at Southwest: Football
Color: Yellow
Board game: Clue
Animal: Llama