An Amazing Amount of Determination To Fuel A Grind That Never Ends

Charger Athlete Interviews - Noelle Greenwood

By: Greg Wolfe

Chancellor High School may not be the most flashy campus in Spotsylvania County, but the students who go there are what make it so great. Noelle Greenwood, an athlete at the school who participates in Softball, Track, and Cross Country, is a prime example of one of those students who make it great. Her parents Melanie and Jason Greenwood are huge supporters of her work, along with her three siblings Hannah (14), Abby (12), and Jake (8). You can find her at school just as often as you would find her on the athletic grind, as she is a part of the morning news, the Senior Class President, in Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band, and is the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle Leader. I sat down with Noelle earlier this week, and we had a fun, laugh-filled, conversation about her time at Chancellor.

(Regular lettering - Noelle Greenwood, Red Lettering - Greg Wolfe)

How has the journey, sports-wise, been like so far up to this point?

Wow, it's been wild. It's taken so much hard work, dedication, and a little bit of heartbreak honestly, to get to this point in the journey. It's been fun, I love my teammates they make it so worth it.

Which sport has impacted you the most?

I would probably say Cross Country. I came to Cross Country late, didn't start running with the team until Junior year. I first did it as a challenge, as a way to stay in shape for softball which is my main sport. It turned out to be so wild, and I love the team so much. They've impacted me, my personality and everything. The coaches for the team also definitely challenged me, developed my work ethic, and challenged me to do my best. 

At school you're also quite the student, so how do you balance sports and school schedules together?

Oh definitely time management! Some days I have to wake up early to get my homework done, and some days you gotta stay up late or bring work to your sporting events. Morning Charge comes in so clutch. Getting work done in class, doing your homework when you can, and not wasting any time is important because nobody likes to stay up until midnight and waking up at 4 the next morning to do work.

And that's like a year round thing for you, right? Grind never really stops.

Yeah, I started doing sports in all the seasons last year. Which was also Junior year, the hardest year maybe as well. It was definitely a challenge, so yeah the grind never really stops!

Noelle (middle) with her cross country teammates.

So where does that motivation come from? Like young and old, back in elementary school and middle school to now in high school.

In the very beginning I'd say it just started with the love of the game. There was a little girl who just loved softball, and went with it. I would say as things go on now, it's about just being the best I can be for my senior year. And I would love to do all of this in college, so that's partially where some of that motivation comes from. I know for like Softball, I started working out and I would wake up at like 4:30 in the morning. I've also got three siblings and they all play sports. My sister Hannah is a cheerleader, my sister Abby is a junior all american softball player and a really good basketball player, and my brother Jake is a really good wrestler.

So for softball, did you play before 7th grade in middle school?

Yes, my best friend Bella actually got me into it back in 4th grade. She was like, "Do you wanna play softball?", and at first I was like "No I honestly don't". But then my mom made me do it, so yeah my best friend got me into it.

On the track and cross country teams, are there any rivalries between you and the others?

I would say on like cross country everybody wants to compete to be that top scoring runner, but honestly everybody loves each other so much. Track not so much I would say rivalry-wise, because there's not a lot of us. I'm the only female pole-vaulter, there's maybe only four or five distance runners and I'm not running distance that much. So not really on the team, but obviously school-wise we've got that rivalry with the (Courtland) Cougars. And then I have a personal rivalry with King George since I live there.

What will your plans be after high school? Since you mentioned wanting to go on and continue to compete at the college level.

Ok, yeah I actually received my appointment to the Coast Guard Academy the other day. So the plan is I'll go there, and I hope to play softball for them and run cross country. And as soon as I graduate I'll be an officer in the Coast Guard, so I'll have four years in the academy and then five years of service with them. I'm really looking forward to it, it'll be great!

What were the personal goals you set for yourself before the year began?

For cross country I wanted to beat my PR (personal record) and make it on the record board. I got very, very close. At the time I thought that the time on the record board was ten seconds off from what it really was, and during one race everyone on my team had thought that I had beaten the PR by two seconds and I was now on the record board. I was super psyched, but then Coach Ron had told me I didn't make it. So it was kind of a heart breaker because I had put everything into that race trying to beat that PR and it wasn't enough. But in the end it's really just trying to get better. It started as a way just to stay in shape and became something so much more than that.

This year as a Senior, what's the relationship like between you and the freshman who are just getting started?

Oh I love the freshman so much, they're so funny! On cross country we had a few new girls on the team and I love them all so much. For softball I try to remember a few years ago how it wasn't the best experience as a freshman, and so I now do my best to talk to them. Even if I'm not like super close to them I'm still going to talk them. And for whatever reason on the guys' team they all call me mom which is a "wait, what?" moment.

What do you like best about softball?

I just like competing, it's got both the team aspects and the just you aspect. Like you're the only one fielding a ball or at the plate, and at the same time you're a team working off each other, but it could also come down to just you. I play outfield, it's my favorite position. I like being the last line of defense, so if a ball does get by me I'll be taking all the heat for it so its a two way street you can either be the hero or somebody everyone hates. I kind of like that though.

So looking back it all, what can you say about Chancellor?

It may not be the prettiest school, but the people definitely make it great. It is what you make of it definitely. I came in as a freshman straight out of private school so the first few months were kind of rough. Didn't know anybody then, but once you put yourself out there and join clubs and sports you end up introducing yourself to people and making friends. Definitely what you make of it.

Well that's all I've got, thanks for your time!

Ok, thanks. It was fun!

At the end of day, you can always look back and see how big of an influence Noelle has had on the school. She has contributed to almost everything imaginable, which is an impressive story of how she went from knowing close to nobody to maybe now the entire senior class. She sets a great example to future students, which is that getting involved is extremely important in high school. It'll take a very long time for the effect she had on this school to fade away, and she definitely has a career here to look back at and smile on. This, is Noelle Greenwood. One of the hardest workers at school, who's determination is impossible to replicate.