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Alexys Hendrickson
Athlete of the Week: Alexys Hendrickson, Mitchell girls soccer
SCORING IN HIGH GEAR
Mitchell junior Alexys Hendrickson set a school record by scoring eight goals in a 9-0 win over Harrison last week. Hendrickson led the Marauders with 14 goals this season. For her efforts, Hendrickson is The Gazette's Athlete of the Week.
Do you have any fun plans this summer?
Yeah, I'm going to go visit my dad in Utah and definitely play soccer and probably do a lot of summer homework (laughs).
You have summer homework?
Yeah, for my senior year I'm taking some pretty hard classes.
How long have you been playing soccer?
Since I was about 9 years old.
Why did you start playing soccer?
I actually started because of Mia Hamm. I started to watch her and I read her book, and Michelle Akers really inspired me also. I just picked up on it at school one day and I loved it ever since.
What was it in her book that really stuck out to you?
She had a harder life when she was younger and how she started soccer was the exact way I started. Her teammates were like her family and that's how I started. My teammates were my best friends.
I know you still have a year left, but where are you looking as far as colleges?
I've really been going towards the East Coast. North Carolina is my No. 1 right now. It would be following Mia Hamm, which isn't the reason why, but they have an amazing soccer team and school.
What are your hobbies outside of soccer?
I love snowboarding. In March I went snowboarding with my best friend and her family and I just love it. I wish I could be a competitive snowboarder actually. That would be so cool, but it's really hard.
How many years have you been doing it?
Since I moved to Colorado. So about two years.
Where are you from?
Albany, Ore., is where I moved from. I lived there for nine years. My parents decided that it would be a great place to play soccer for me and we wanted to be closer to family.
Are you into the Olympics this summer?
Yes. I would love to play in the Olympics.
Do you keep up with all of the sports?
Mostly soccer since the Olympics are huge and there are so many games.
Who are some current players that you follow?
The only ones are the ones who retired which is really sad. I've been watching Heather O'Reilly and Hope (Solo), who is the goalie. They are going to be amazing, so it's exciting to watch them.
How soon after the game did you find out that you had broken a school record?
Probably that night when I got home I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I scored eight goals in a game.' Everyone was telling me congratulations and I was like ‘Thanks.' I didn't really realize.
You scored all eight in a row, how did you get into that kind of rhythm?
I don't know, just my teammates were amazing with getting me the ball and I was just lucky enough to capitalize on it.
