Evelyn Trampe
Business Manager
Chris Ball, November Athlete of the Month, has swam four years on Webster’s men’s swim team and began swimming in sixth grade for the Webster Waves swim team.
Throughout his high school career, Ball made considerable contributions to men’s swimming.
“I qualified for State my junior and senior year in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-medley relay, 200- freestyle relay, and the 400-freestyle relay,” Ball said.
For Ball, “Swimming means everything,” and he doesn’t know, “what [he] would be doing without the sport.”
About his attitude towards swimming, Ball’s sister, junior Cassidy Ball said, “[Chris is] very dedicated and always works his hardest at practice.” Ball currently holds the school’s 100-yard backstroke record.
Swimming may be a huge part of Ball’s identity, but his friends describe him as, “outgoing, funny, and a great friend,” senior Glory Patrick said.
“[Chris] definitely brings humor into every situation and doesn’t take himself too seriously,” Patrick said. This humor was shown by his last Friendship dance experience.
Ball had made plans with his friends for his before and after Friendship dance activities, and it wasn’t until the day of the dance when someone reminded him not to forget his ticket, that he realized he didn’t have a ticket.
Ball was “freaking out” that he didn’t have a ticket, but his friends were “freaking out even more,” Patrick said.
While on the bus ride home from the Gateway Student Council Convention, seniors Connie Rhodes, Glory Patrick and Ashli Wagner frantically did their best to figure out a ticket solution.
They talked about, “scanning and making a new ticket,” or figuring out how to “break into the activities office and swipe a ticket,” but finally they found a way to contact the activities office, who said Ball could buy a ticket if he came to school, “right then.”
Not wanting there to be any chance of Ball not getting a ticket to his last Friendship Dance, the three called him and stayed on the line until Ball was able to “buy [his] ticket.”
Ball’s high school swimming career and dance ticket dilemma have more in common than one might think, they both have happy endings.
About what role swimming will have in his future, Ball said, “ I am planning on swimming in college. I am undecided where, but I am planning.”
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