Wichita Northwest senior Josie Deckinger has played varsity volleyball and softball all four years of high school. She got involved with both sports at a very young age, about five, with the encouragement of her parents.
“Both of my parents are athletic and seeing them play got me very interested,” said Deckinger. “They also got me very involved in any sport I could play and enjoyed.”
Deckinger’s natural competitiveness serves her well as a multi-sport athlete, which is a title she is glad to have.
“The benefits of being a multi-sport athlete are always staying busy and it keeps me active year-round,” she said. “I love competing against other people and the want to win is always there from me.”
Deckinger also plays club in addition to school sports, but her busy schedule doesn’t stop her from excelling in the classroom.
“I’m in the top 10% of my class at Northwest so playing two sports in high school and club for both is challenging at times with school, taking college courses, but I think it motivates me as an individual to want to be successful in all of the activities I’m in and especially in school,” she said. “I know I’ll have late nights of practice or games but academics always comes first and my family has done a really good job of not letting me slack off and kept me on track to be the best I can be.”
Some highlights over the course of Deckinger’s high school athletic career include being on the varsity volleyball team since her freshman year, winning substate and going to 6A state. In softball, she mentions substate her junior year as a great memory.
“We were down 10-2 in the sixth inning and came back in the seventh to beat Great Bend 11-10 to go on to 5A state,” she said.
Her favorite thing about getting to play both sports was competing in substate and the tournaments every year, including the triangulars in softball. She enjoyed getting to play against other teams from all over Kansas, including those that presented more of a challenge, making her and her teammates compete that much harder.
After graduation, Deckinger says she is undecided on which college to attend but she wants to study elementary education.
