Megan Young Interview

My first awareness of Megan Young was when my Assistant Coach Steve Peachey had watched Megan play on a travel team. He told me,”You are really going to like Megan Young, she plays so hard.” When she was playing on the freshmen team, it was obvious she was the most intense player in our entire program. Megan is just non-stop.

The best way to describe Megan is to say she is “involved in school.” Critics of the basketball program like to say that basketball is so demanding that if you play basketball at GHS, it is the only thing you can do. (It should be noted that 10 of our 15 varsity players play two or more sports, with 5 being three sport athletes.) Evidently Megan did not get the message that basketball would be too demanding. Megan is a three-sport athlete, takes the most demanding classes at GHS, and is involved in several clubs on top of it. I guess she likes to keep busy!

This term I have had the pleasure of having Megan in Sociology class. She is the type of student that any teacher would love to have. Although she gets great grades, it is obvious she is not in class for the grade. She really is a curious student. She challenges traditional thought and is willing to ask inciteful questions. She is even willing to question the teacher. On one of our last tests, she wrote me a note,”Questions 29 and 30 really don’t pertain to the chapter as we studied it.” After you read her answers, you will see that Megan is really a deep thinker, except for that Cub fan thing!

You are involved in three sports at GHS. Have you always been involved in sports as you were growing up?

Young- The first team I played on, sadly, was the White Sox when I was seven years old. My basketball career began in second grade for the YMCA. I started playing volleyball in fifth grade, and when I was younger, I participated in track and soccer. Without my dad, I am not sure if I would have stayed so involved in sports. He was always willing to take me to the backyard or  to help me with softball, from teaching how to hold my glove to catch a fly ball without breaking my nose at age seven to how to turn a quick double play at age 16. I have got to thank him also for helping me so much in basketball, showing me which leg goes up on a layup at age six to the importance of catching and shooting in high school.

What was your favorite youth sports experience and why?

Young- Playing AYBT one summer when Beebe Young was our coach was a blast.  Actually, the whole "Junior Streak" experience was very enjoyable. I loved playing in tournaments every weekend and through the team, I met my close friends and teammates to this day: Jessica Howard, Jamie Johnson, and Tai Peachey.

When you were in grade school or junior high did you have any sports figure you admired and wanted to be like?

Young- When I was younger, my mom always urged me to read the book Values of the Game by Bill Bradley. Bill Bradley played for the Knicks and later went on to become a politician, but his book greatly inspired me and I admired his hard work and perseverance as a player. One quote I think of when I need motivation to go out and work is "If you're not practicing just remember--someone, somewhere, is practicing, and when you two meet, given roughly equal ability, he will win."

You are a diehard Cub fan. Be honest, would like be easier if you were able to deprogram yourself and root for someone else?

Young- No, life probably would not be any easier. I give pretty much anyone who is not a cub fan, especially White Sox and Cardinal fans, a hard time.

Who is your favorite Cub?

Young- Hmmmm. I would have to say Greg Maddux, we even named our dog after him.

If you were in charge of the Cubs, what changes would you make?

Young- I would never have traded Ryan Theriot, too attractive and talented.

You are a great student. What is a typical night in terms of studying?

Young- To ease my studying load, I always take notes in class. I do this not only so I can look over them later, but also because writing it down helps me remember it better; therefore, I will not have to study as much the night before the test. Often, I will stay after school or class if I do not understand something, and I always ask questions. Usually, if I take adequate notes and ask questions I do not have to study much at all.

What is the best class you have had, and why?

Young- AP Economics and AP Biology, even though they sound intimidating, are two of my favorite classes I have taken.  I loved AP Economics because I was completely new to the material and Mr. Schaafsma's unique assignments were always a fun challenge. Learning about all the intricate processes and details of all the life around us makes AP Biology my other favorite class. I find biology, while it can be dull, fascinating. Another aspect I liked was the friends I made, our class spent a lot of time together studying after school or complaining about homework, which made us grow close.

You are someone I would describe as being highly motivated. Is there someone in your life who you think you have learned this from?

Young- Definitely my dad. He always urged me to do the absolute best at everything and never accepted complacency. Ever since I was in grade school, my dad stressed the importance of a good education.  My dad never let me make excuses for mediocre grades and pushed me to always be an A student. In sports, my dad told me that even if I do not have a great shooting game, if I play as hard as I can every time good things will happen. My parents made it clear that I could always do more, and always encouraged me to get out in the driveway and practice, even if it was softball or volleyball season. In addition, my grandpa's unending support motivated me to do my best always.


Who is someone you don't have for a coach but you think is one of the most motivational people you have met? A non-coach you would like to have as a coach?

One of the most motivational people I have ever met is Mrs. Debra Wilson, my sophomore geometry teacher. She was willing to do ANYTHING in order to help a student. She would come before or after school even though she lives an hour away. Also, she attends various sporting events to support her students. She is so excited about what she does everyday and I loved having her as a teacher.

Going out to dinner. Who are three living or dead people you would want to go out to eat with and be able to talk to?

Young- This is a tough question, there are so many interesting people that I would like to have lunch with but I would have to pick Ernest Hemingway, Kanye West, and Mahatma Gandhi. I admire Ernest Hemingway and Kanye West immensely as artists in different aspects; however, they have the reputation of being jerks. I think that having such an inspirational, tranquil person such as Gandhi would be an amazing experience in itself, and, he would mellow out Kanye and Hemingway for an insightful, civil dinner. That is, if Kanye doesn’t interrupt Gandhi to say, “ Imma let you finish, but Martin Luther King had one of the best non-violent protests of all time.”

When it comes to teammates, you have little patience with_____?

Young- When it comes to teammates, I have little patience for excuses and selfishness. Unfortunately, in different sports over the years I have had to play alongside the occasional poor teammate that put down others in order to make themselves feel better. They felt they were the most valuable player by a long shot, when they made a mistake it was everyone else’s fault. I cannot stand that.

When it comes to teammates, you really appreciate______?

Young- When it comes to teammates, I appreciate kindness. As a sophomore and freshman especially, playing with older teammates was at times terrifying. I appreciate the teammates that went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and acknowledged that I existed. I vowed to be approachable and friendly towards underclassmen when I was older, no matter if I liked them personally or not. Sports are not enjoyable at all with a segregated team.