Everyone has a story, but Graham Terry’s is unique. As a multi-sport athlete, Terry plans to apply to college and universities, hoping his athletic abilities will give him the upper hand in the application process.

“I would say the biggest struggles I have aren’t really physical, they’re more so mental. Trying to find the time or the motivation to go workout or play your sport can be tough, sometimes it is a struggle to get out of bed in the morning to go workout,” Graham Terry, 12, said.

Everyone has different struggles that they are trying to overcome, such as having the right mindset, or conquering a fear.

“I just love to have competition and I love being able to have time with myself, for instance lifting weights,” Terry said. “I can just express any emotions and get them out, and just after playing a sport or working out, I walk out feeling good and refreshed.”

People love having a passion, something that makes them happy; Terry’s passions are soccer, weight lifting, football, swimming and cross country.

“Growing up, I played soccer for as long as I can remember, so I would probably say that’s my favorite,” Terry said. “Playing football and kicking for the football team is new for me and it is a new challenge and I really like that.”

Terry’s first year on the football team was a success, colleges were looking at him play, and he even made it in the local newspaper.

“I would say recently, the biggest accomplishment I have received is colleges looking at me for football, and I’ve taken different visits to colleges and campuses and the coaches and all the players interacting with me, that’s definitely been a cool experience,” Terry said.

Finding your struggle and trying to overcome it can be difficult. One of Terry’s biggest struggles was focusing on academics, but that doesn’t get him down; He likes to sit down and turn his phone off so he can focus on his work without any distractions.

“In the past I have had a pretty hard time keeping up with homework and academics, but after COVID, I’ve really wanted to make the effort,” Terry said. “ I realized that as hard as I work on the field or whatever I’m doing athletically, I also have to do that in school.”

Terry continues to work to improve his game and that includes seeking advice from coaches and teammates. 

“One of the best pieces of advice I have gotten was from my football kicking coach this year, he says that whenever you lose, don’t see it as a loss, you can take that “L” and turn it into a lesson, you can take the “L” from the loss and take that lesson and apply it to the next week of practice,” Terry said.

Terry considers himself not only to be coachable but to be a leader among his peers and teammates.

“I think teamwork is really important, I always try to be a leader even if I don’t have a leadership role,” Terry said. “I just try to lead people as much as possible, kind of just be a role model and set the example. Another part I like is that when being on a team you help each other out by building up their strengths and weaknesses.” 

Terry loves helping the team out whenever he can, and to be an example for others. He has goals set for his future that he wants to accomplish. 

“When I go to college I want to do ROTC, and after college, I want to go into the military; I think a big long term goal in 5-10 years, would be getting into the military and being an officer in the army is definitely one of my really big goals,” Terry said.

“2020 and 2021 were my best sports years because I had played soccer my whole life, and I stopped playing soccer and I started new sports such as weightlifting, football, and started swimming for school,” Terry said. “I’ve seen a lot of growth not only in sports but in my mentality, and I’m excited for what’s to come.”