Mother's dedication during battle with cancer inspires West Lafayette athlete Ava Hallberg
The Lafayette Journal & Courier sports department is proud to present the 23rd annual Student-Athlete of the Year awards. The selections are based on a student-athlete's athletic and academic achievements, along with community activities. The winners were asked to write about what high school athletics meant to them. The female recipient for 2023 is Ava Hallberg of West Lafayette.
Hallberg accumulated a 3.84 grade-point average while playing soccer and running track at West Lafayette. She helped the Red Devil soccer program win four straight sectional championships, leading the team in assists as a junior and senior. Hallberg won two individual Hoosier Conference titles in track and three individual sectional titles, including the 200 meters and 300-meter hurdles as a senior.
More: Lafayette Journal & Courier's Male Student-Athlete of the Year: Carroll's Owen Duff
Additionally, Hallberg served as president and vice president over four years of student council, was active in Student Athlete Leadership Committee, Debate Club and National Honor Society. She also started her own non-profit, CaptioTech, geared towards bringing technology access and education to middle school aged children and volunteered with Red Cross. Hallberg will attend Purdue University.
West Lafayette High School's Ava Hallberg in her own words
The beginning of my soccer career consisted mainly of clearing the fields of dandelions with the rest of my kindergarten teammates. Even during this time, when I was more of a gardener than a player, my parents were always my biggest supporters.
My parents encouraged me to challenge myself with everything that I did. My mom and I trained for our first half marathon together when I was in the third grade and I continued running all throughout high school. Although my dad never played soccer, he spent hours researching drills to practice with me in the front yard and never complained when driving me across state lines for my unnecessarily distant club tournaments. I know that I never would have reached the milestones that I did in athletics without their love and support.
During my time as an athlete, I have learned countless valuable lessons. I have learned to lead more effectively through the guidance of my coaches and mentors, recognize the importance of hard work and responsibility, and most importantly, ensure that music is clean before playing it over the loudspeakers at practice. Of all the gifts that I will carry with me as I transition into the next stage of my life, the one that I will cherish the most is the invaluable community that I have gained along the way.
I lost my mom near the end of my junior year after a long battle with cancer. Even when confined to a wheelchair, my mom refused to miss a single soccer game or track meet, which made her absence in the crowd weigh heavily on my mind after she passed. As the date of her visitation approached, I dreaded having to spend the day trapped in a grief-stricken room filled with reminders of what I had lost.
I know this day would have gone as anticipated if not for the special people in my life who chose to come and show their support. Throughout the visitation, players and coaches from past and current teams continuously stopped by to deliver their condolences. My entire high school soccer team came together dressed in our team gear and showered me with kind words and tight hugs. Although I had lost an irreplaceable member of my support system, my community showed me that I will always be surrounded by people that care for me, and I would have never had the opportunity to build such valuable relationships without athletics.
In a time that I was experiencing many difficult emotions, my love for competition and my team gave me the strength to continue pushing myself physically and mentally. Athletics have made an extraordinary impact on my life, and I would not be the person that I am today without them. I am thankful for all the cold and rainy practices, early morning bus rides, and what felt like endless 120-meter sprints in the summer heat. While these activities made me miserable at the time, they have left me with irreplaceable memories alongside some of my closest friends.
— Ava Hallberg
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: J&C Female Student Athlete of the Year: West Lafayette's Ava Hallberg
