Jack Feyereisn (Baseball)

KE: What made you develop a love or passion for this sport?

JF: It’s a lot like life. You don’t win every time. You don’t succeed all the time. You learn to deal with failure.

KE: What kind of accomplishments have you achieved during your time playing this sport?

JF: We won the Wayzata tournament when I was a freshman. That was the first ever tournament I’d won in all my years. Then last year winning the conference then winning sections and getting fourth place in state.

KE: What is a moment that you were scared or failed and had to rebound? 

JF: When I was 13, I got cut from my usual AA team. I got pushed down to A and it kind of took the wind out of me.

Gwyneth Bruce (Softball)

KE: Have you ever considered quitting?

GB: Yeah, and it was kind of my own fault. I was kept on JV because of my attitude, and quitting definitely came into my mind.

KE: What kind of accomplishments have you achieved during your time playing this sport?

GB: When I was younger, I won many weekend tournaments with my teams. Then last year, we were section champs and got fourth place in state.

KE: Was there a specific moment when it became more than a hobby, but rather a passion?

GB: I’ve never been super into it, but last year I was. I realized that we were pretty good and had a shot to win some games and go far.

Hannah Miller (Volleyball)

KE: What made you develop a love or passion for this sport? 

HM: With other sports I only enjoyed games and not practice. With volleyball I enjoyed both.

KE: Have you ever considered quitting?

HM: I was on a club team toward the end of last year with some girls that weren’t very nice. They would avoid giving me the ball which frustrated me to the point of contemplating quitting.

KE: What is a moment that you were scared or failed and had to rebound? 

HM: I played with a heart condition during my junior year. It was scary, because I knew that it was just there and lingering, so I was scared to play through it.

Grant Gustafson (Football)

KE: Was there a specific moment when it became more than a hobby, but rather a passion?

GG: When I started playing high school football, I saw the varsity kids practicing and it made me realize what I could do and what I could work up to.

KE: What kind of accomplishments have you achieved during your time playing this sport?

GG: Definitely winning the state tournament this fall.

KE: What is a moment that you were scared or failed and had to rebound?

GG: In 9th grade, I broke three bones in my hand. I played the game after that with the injury, and I was afraid that I was going to worsen the injury. Luckily I turned out to be fine.

Laura Deutz (Girls’ Tennis)

KE: What is a moment that you were scared or failed and had to rebound?

LD: I’ve always tried to just play my best and not stress about my performance. I have more fun that way.

KE: What made you develop a love or passion for this sport?

LD: I’ve always had the most fun with tennis. I’ve tried other sports but always came back to [tennis]. It comes naturally to me and I love the social aspect that it brings. Tennis is a sport that I know I can play my whole life, and that appeals to me.

KE: What is your highest moment or most fond memory?

LD: Kind of a funny one, but my coach in middle school was on “The Bachelor,” so that was cool.

Noah Twesten (Boys’ Soccer)

KE: What made you develop a love or passion for this sport?

NT: My parents signed me up. It was the first sport I ever played, the only sport that my parents wanted me to play.

KE: Have you ever considered quitting?

NT: I considered quitting in 7th grade, because I didn’t think I was going to make the BSM red team, which was the only team I wanted to play for.

KE: What is your highest moment or most fond memory?

NT: Going to DeLaSalle in sections—who we’d lost to 4-1 earlier in the season—and dominating the entire game to eventually win 2-1. It was the first time I was genuinely emotional about winning a game.