Skiatook senior Jadyn Whinery is a pitcher and outfielder for the Lady Bulldogs softball team. When representing her school and community on the field, she aims to do so excellently.

“I know there have been a lot of good teams and players before me, so it is important to me to uphold the standard of success they had,” she said.

She is motivated by facing challenges and learning how to overcome them, which is a great lesson for sports and life.

“It has taken hard work and having a positive mindset to not give up, no matter how hard it gets,” she said.

The most important influences for Whinery are her parents.

“Some of my biggest role models are my parents because they have always set a good example for me and pushed me to be the best version of myself,” she said.

Whinery especially enjoys any big wins, but when thinking back on certain highlight moments in her athletic career, there is one that stands out to her.

“When we got to host regionals my sophomore year and I hit a two run homerun against Cushing, with the final score being 2-0,” she recalled.

Whinery gives a special shout out to a position on the field that she sees putting in hard work.

“I feel like as a pitcher, my catchers work extremely hard and don’t always get enough credit for the hard work they put in,” she said.

An athlete’s senior season is always a special one, but Whinery is appreciating hers even more because she gets to play alongside her sister.

“This season is extra special to me because I get to finally play a season with my younger sister who was out all last year due to injury,” she said. “Knowing this is my last season I want to soak in every last second and make the best memories with my teammates.”