One of the cruelest and most disheartening situations a young person, particularly a young athlete, can be forced to deal with is a serious injury. The vast majority of high school students have a very small window to compete in organized athletics, so to have that opportunity diminished by circumstances beyond their control is difficult to handle.
For many young people, the loss of a competitive outlet and the camaraderie that comes with playing alongside your friends and teammates can be overwhelming. However, in some cases, like that of University Heights Academy’s Eli Finch, the individual can fall back on a variety of interests, achievements, and commitments to soften the blow of not being able to take the field.
A knee injury during summer training cost the goalkeeper his junior campaign and limited his preparation for the upcoming baseball season. Also a catcher for the Blazers, Eli possesses the temperament to sacrifice his body for the good of the team on both the pitch and the diamond. To his credit, despite not being able to suit up, he made it a point to be on hand for games and even practices to support his Blazer soccer teammates as they claimed 8th-District and All-A Region titles in 2023.
But Eli doesn’t limit his endeavors solely to athletic pursuits. A 4.0 student, he excels in the classroom with a particular interest in trigonometry and chemistry. A member of both Senior Beta Club and National Honors Society, Eli is also in the running for Valedictorian of his class. He hopes to turn his interests into a career, with plans to study aerospace engineering in college with an eye toward working on planes or rockets at a company like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, or NASA.
Eli also stays busy socially and in his community as a member of Key Club, the Fellowship of Christian Students, and the Youth Leadership Program. He is active in the First Baptist Church and donates his time to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
Well-rounded and highly thought of by teammates, coaches, and teachers alike, Eli is a worthy example of a Triple ‘A’ Athlete.
One Response
We are very proud of our grandson, Eli, as he is a well rounded student academically as well as athleticly. He enjoys team comeradery and is involved in several clubs and at our church youth activities. Mike & Belinda Finch