Mady Cheney (Lacrosse, Radford University) grew up in Georgetown. HelloNation asks student athletes one question about the place that raised them and records the answer on camera. This is Mady Cheney’s, in full.
The question
Tell us about a teacher or mentor from high school who challenged you the most or inspired you in a way that still shapes who you are today. Who are they, and what lesson from them do you carry into your life now?
The answer, as recorded
Transcript. What follows is a transcript of the video above, in Mady Cheney’s own words. It has not been rewritten, and no part of it was drafted for them.
When I think of a mentor, I immediately think of my club teammate Leah Bodner, who played Division I lacrosse at the University of Detroit Mercy. She was one of the first people in my life who really took me under her wing. During COVID, we had a lot of extra free time on our hands, so she chose to teach me everything I know about lacrosse, from a riser shot to how to place your hands on your stick, how to get ground balls better, all the basics that I would have never learned by myself. She also helped me gain a lot of confidence on the field. If I didn't know those certain skills, I wouldn't have grown up to be a super confident player like I am today. She spent so much time helping me improve myself rather than just focusing on herself. She didn't have to go out of her way to plan an extra practice every single day with me to teach me certain things. She showed me what hard work and leadership looked like every single day and inspired me to believe that I could also play Division I lacrosse too. She helped me out with recruiting, gave me tips and tricks, and was just the first person to really push me past my limits in lacrosse. And she helped me develop the confidence to know that I wanted to play in college and gave me that spark. The biggest lesson that success comes from consistency and work ethic. That's what she taught me. And I still carry that mindset into what I do and how I lead my teammates and younger players today. So thank you, Leah.
Recorded by HelloNation as part of its athlete voices program and published by Hello Newswire, HelloNation’s good news newswire. The words are the speaker’s own.
Reported by Hello Newswire.