- April 2021
Personal Statement
Hi, my name is Maddie Griggs LeRoux and I am a class of 2022 athlete from St. Paul, Minnesota. Since I could walk, I have been a well-rounded athlete; between the ages of three and fourteen, I participated in five competitive and two non-competitive sports, and when I got to high school I chose to stick with three of them, volleyball, gymnastics, and softball. I also recently took up diving when my volleyball season was pushed back due to covid. Even with all the sports, softball has always been my true love and where I feel most at home. I’ve been playing varsity softball since freshman year as a starter and primary pitcher, and my primary catcher and I are in the runnings for senior captains in 2022. My softball team feels like a family to me, and that’s something that I’m looking for in collegiate softball as well, a family. Women that I can work well with on and of the field and that I know will have my back.
I have a strong passion for the human mind and human behavior, as well as mental health disorders of all kinds. My family has a long history of mental illnesses, myself included, and I want to study psychology (and other related fields) to not only learn more about myself and my family, but also to learn how to help people. I want to help adults and adolescents that have struggled the way I have. I want to give people the fighting chance that softball gave me. While my world was spinning around me my freshman year, softball was the place I found peace. Softball taught me how to channel my energy and negative thoughts in positive ways, and how to really be myself without caring what people think about me. It gave me the confidence I never knew I had in me, and I have used that confidence to my advantage every day. I believe that these things give me a unique connection to the sport and a passion that can be hard to find. A passion for the game and the competition, but also for the fun, and the grounding feeling it gives me. I want to find a team that has similar feelings about softball and all the things around it.
One of my dreams after school is to see the world. I have a strong sense of curiosity and when I have learned everything I can from textbooks and classrooms, I want to learn about things that can’t be found in a book. I want to experience the world with all my senses, and I want to help as many people as I can on the journey with whatever they might need. I can’t wait to be a part of a school that can help me achieve my goals, both academically and athletically. I will always love softball. Even when I can’t play anymore, I plan on coaching to share my knowledge and passion for the sport with kids that might one day love softball as much as I do. Thank you for visiting my profile and taking the time to learn a little about me. Have a wonderful day :)
