Sports demand commitment, hard work and endurance. Despite hardships and struggles, great athletes find a way to persevere and still put in all that they’ve got. This week’s CNG’s Athlete of the Week has done exactly this.
Rodri Smith, 16, has been active in sports for seven years and is currently involved in cross-country, basketball and track and field at Grand Terrace High School.
Rodri is a very accomplished student-athlete with a 4.0 G.P.A. and has been on the varsity cross-country team for four years and the track and field varsity team for three years.
Rodri faced her biggest athletic challenge on Jan. 17, 2018, when she got a concussion. Rodri was under hospital care at home for about two months. With this injury Rodri says it was hard to come back to school and to practices, but found motivation from her family and friends.
Specifically, Rodri says her motivation comes from her brother, “he helps me every day and gives me advice; to help challenge myself and become a better athlete.”
Rodri plans to attend Riverside Community College, where she will continue to run in both cross-county and track, but will major in journalism in order to fulfill her hopes of becoming a news reporter.