Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Bay Port's Allyson Gajeski (Tianna Gries Photography)
BY RICH PALZEWIC
CORRESPONDENT
Allyson Gajeski is a senior at Bay Port High School and a member of the softball team. She played volleyball in her younger years, but has just played softball since entering high school.
Allyson plans to attend NWTC and study radiology.
Her favorite color is yellow because it’s a bright, nice color.
Name: Allyson Gajeski
Nickname: Al
Parents: Jason & Monica
School: Bay Port
Sport: softball
Position: outfield
Twitter: @allysongajeski
How do you pronounce your last name?
“Guy-es-ski.”
Any siblings?
“I have a younger brother named Daniel and he’s a sophomore at Bay Port. I have an older half-sister – but I consider her my sister – named Kayln who lives in Pennsylvania. I don’t get to see her that much.”
Do you come from a sports family?
“My brother plays baseball on the JV team and my mom was a cheerleader!”
When did you start playing softball?
“When I was like 8 years old – second grade.”
What’s it like having Dave Luedke as your coach? He’s new this year.
“I think it’s been going pretty good so far. I knew of coach before he was hired, but unlike some of the other girls, I never had him as a coach when I was younger.”
How about a sport you wish you could have tried?
“I really wish I would have continued with volleyball since I had a fun time doing it. When I came to Bay Port I just thought it would be best to focus solely on softball.”
What would be your most memorable sports moment?
“Last year just being on varsity and winning conference – that was a great accomplishment!”
Do you have a most embarrassing moment?
“Sophomore year on the JV team – I was playing third at the time – a ball popped up between me and the shortstop and we ran into one another. She still caught it, but it was pretty embarrassing.”
You have one of the best pitchers in the conference in Sydney LaPoint on your team … what’s it like facing her?
“It’s hard! She has such a good rise ball and gets us all. It prepares you for the real games.”
What is something about you that most people wouldn’t know?
“I’m allergic to a lot of things. Being outside for me is really hard – I’m allergic to grass, dust and pollen.”
What’s your reaction to the allergies?
“I usually just break out in hives if it’s directly on my skin. It seems like I always have a runny nose or I am coughing. I take medication for it and it’s gotten a little better since then.”
What are some of your hobbies?
“I go to concerts a lot, friends and family.”
What three words best describe you?
“Determined, outgoing, funny.”
What is something you want to do before you die?
“I would love to travel to France … we had a foreign-exchange student live with us my freshman year. I still keep in contact with her, so I’d like to go visit her someday.”
Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What do you want to be when you grow up?
“I actually wanted to be a radiologist just like my mom!”
Finish this sentence. On Sunday mornings, you can usually find me...
“Working out – I like running, but I also have asthma … I just like running slow, so I never really considered joining cross country or track.”
Describe the color yellow to somebody who can’t see.
“Geez … that’s hard! You can’t compare it to the sun – I would just say it’s a bright, happy color … that’s why I like it myself!”
If you were to get rid of one state in the U.S. which would it be and why?
“I feel like it should be Rhode Island – no offence to anyone from there – but no one really thinks of that state very much and it’s just kind of out there. I don’t hear of too many people going there for vacation.”
How will Allyson Gajeski be remembered at Bay Port after graduation?
“I hope to be remembered as a hard-working student and an athlete as well.”
Cut the grass or shovel snow? “Shovel snow because of my allergies.”
Tent camping or camper? “Tent camping.”
Vacuum or laundry? “Laundry.”
Cats or dogs? “Cats.”
Chocolate or vanilla? “Vanilla.”
Favorites
Food: spaghetti
Subject: anatomy
Board game: Life
Athlete: Randall Cobb
App: Twitter
Notes: Suggestions for the Senior Spotlight can be submitted to Rich via email (palzewic@hotmail.com) or by Twitter (@richpalzewic) … all spotlights can be found online at thepress.media. Check out last week’s spotlight on Bay Port’s Ben Hoskyn.
