Abby Snowdon '23 Recruiting Profile

At first glance, my hands look pretty standard: long and slender fingers painted with pink nail polish.  However, my hands are anything but ordinary. They can wield a lacrosse stick, allowing me to win draws or defend the most determined attacker. They can play Bohemian Rhapsody on the piano, shred on the guitar, paint landscapes, and draw flowers.  Those hands are not just gifted in visual arts, but performing arts as well; they’ve clutched a microphone while delivering an award-winning oratory about my disabled brother, led a duet at Disney World, and sang in front of the entire school on numerous occasions.  And last, but certainly not least, my hands are the tool that makes my academic work stand out from the rest--solving math problems, writing essays, or coding.   I’ve always found the idiom “I know it better than the back of my hand” to be a little ironic, because I never know what my hands are capable of.  They always seem to surprise me.  

I have always been a leader in the classroom, on stage and on the field. I firmly believe that this is because of my brother, Matt, who is on the autism spectrum due to his severe communication disabilities.  However, he, too, has gifted hands; he is a phenomenal golfer who has won many tournaments and was an all-county golfer all four years of high school.  Growing up with such a unique sibling allowed me to easily recognize different people’s strengths and weaknesses. This understanding has made me a great team leader and has really allowed me to form a strong relationship with every girl on my team.  I believe that a team without a bond is an unsuccessful team, so I try as best I can to make sure my team has a strong friendship as a foundation.  Sometimes it’s the small things, like handing out matching red scrunchies to everyone or making a warm-up playlist with songs from our childhood, that bring us closer--not only as teammates, but as friends.  

For me personally, it’s always about improving: accepting criticism and direction from my coach, watching videos of collegiate players, and analyzing game film with my dad.  And of course, improvement means spending hours playing wall ball, shooting, going on runs, and strengthening my wrists and fingers--so my hands are strong, reactive, and ready to roll when I go up to take the first draw.