Sleighter gives, receives through basketball
?Kelsey Sleighter gave quite a bit to the Uniontown High School girls basketball program and, as a result, she reaped the rewards of a four-year career that included reaching the coveted 1,000-point scoring plateau and being selected to the all-state girls basketball team. The Lady Raiders made the WPIAL playoffs each year she was on the team.
The daughter of Chris and Linda Sleighter of Uniontown, she has an older sister, Kayley. Because of her athletic achievements, along with a class rank of fourth and 4.04 grade average, Sleighter has been selected as Uniontown High School蘑菇视频 2011 female/scholar athlete.
Sleighter will be joining 13 other scholar/athletes from Fayette County who will be representing the county蘑菇视频 seven high schools when they are honored during the third annual Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet set to take place on Saturday, June 25 at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. Also to be honored are two students from Penn State Fayette.
Sleighter said her biggest memory at UHS was scoring her 1,000th point, something that she 鈥渄reamed of happening鈥� for some time.
Sleighter蘑菇视频 biggest role model has been her father, who played collegiate basketball at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She said he worked with her 鈥渟ince I was in the second grade. He always pushed me to work harder.鈥� She even admitted to finally winning a one-on-one game against her father.
Nate Smith of Morgantown, W.Va., also helped Sleighter develop her basketball skills through sessions at his basketball school over the past four years. 鈥�(Smith) was very tough,鈥� Sleighter said.
In addition to athletics, Sleighter was active at UHS as a member of the National Honor Society, Spanish Club, Yearbook staff and SADD. She has also continued honing her skills this summer while playing traveling basketball with the AAU program.
In the fall, Sleighter will begin studies in engineering at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, where she will play basketball on an athletic scholarship.
She admits to having to work hard in order to maintain her grades in the classroom. 鈥淚鈥檓 not one of those students whose grades just come easily to them,鈥� she said.
The advice she would offer fellow students on successfully balancing activities, athletics and academics, Sleighter said, 鈥淲ork hard and never settle for less than your best. Always follow your dreams.鈥�