Personal Statement
My name is Riley VanderVeen and I am a Class of 2015 Pitcher from Burlington-Edison High School. I play select ball for Team Seattle Panthers 18U. I am working extremely hard to play college softball. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I realized that if I wanted to play ball at the next level, it began with being a solid student athlete. I made a committment to getting stronger mentally and physically. I started to cross fit train and this year switched from playing basketball to wrestling. Wrestling helped me get in better shape, strengthening my core, becoming more flexible and learning how to compete in an individual sport. They say that wrestling is 90% mental and 10% athletic. This mental strength will help me on the mound and in the batters box. I also am committed to my career pathway of majoring in exercise science or athletic training. For the past three years, I have been the Varsity Football manager and athletic trainer. I did two job shadows, one in a college athletic department with their strength and conditioning coach and one with a college athletic trainer. I am a team leader, I believe in being early to practice/games and being the last to leave. I work at my craft and want to improve each and every day. I believe that I am an asset to a team and program because I am coachable, hard working and committed.