Samara Tanchuck '21 Recruiting Profile

   Ever since I can remember I have been involved in athletics.  At age 3, I started swimming, gymnastics, karate and soccer, not all at the same time, but each individually over time.  At age 4 I learned to ski, and although I love the sport, I do not live close enough to a ski hill to be competitive, yet I still continue to ski as often as I can.  I continued in Karate for only a year, in recreational gymnastics on and off for five years but swimming and soccer have stuck with me. I started swim team at age 5 and continued till age 11, when I took a break to work on soccer alone.  I played indoor recreational soccer from 3-6 and moved to outdoor at the age of 7. At the age of 9 I started select/club soccer. I still continued to dabble in other athletics, including baseball at age 8 and volleyball in 5th, 7th & 8th grades, but soccer is my passion.  I continuously have played club soccer year round since the age of 9. My freshman and sophomore high school years I did not pursue high school ball because my body needed a break from the year round pressure I was putting on my feet and knees during my quick growth period at 14-15 years old.  In that time I grew 6 inches and had a lot of growth pains so I chose to go back to swimming for conditioning and recovery. During the swim season of my sophomore year I made varsity swim and made districts. During the summer between my sophomore and junior year, I switched soccer club teams, and was an assistant coach to a U10 boys team. After a great summer of soccer, I chose to play high school ball instead of swim to further my chances to play college ball.  

    Not only am I easily coachable, I am a strong student and listen with the intent to understand.  I strive to understand the subjects, rules and challenges put in front of me. I have taken many Honors and AP level classes and am currently in the Washington State Running Start Program at my local Junior College.  From K-5 I was in a Spanish Immersion program at a local, public elementary school. In 6th grade I continued with my Spanish by taking AP Spanish at my local high school at the age of 11. In grade 8 I added French to my language portfolio.  My freshman year I took AP Spanish again because I loved the class and professor so much and continued with year 2 of French. My sophomore year I was in a Spanish for education class, called Teaching Introductory Spanish, where I traveled to local preschools and elementary schools and helped teach the children Spanish. I also continued with year 3 in French, Honors.  I am currently in year 4 of French and am a member of French Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society. 

    During my time as an elementary, middle school, high school student and athlete I have learned so many things about myself and what it takes to move forward with my goals.  Swimming has taught me independence, memory, strength and perseverance. Soccer has taught me the importance of teamwork, practice, focus, stamina and listening to others, including my teammates and coaches. Through both swim and soccer I have found that I am extremely coachable and can be a strong leader.  Babysitting as my first job helped me understand that I can work well with kids and can be a good leader to them by enforcing rules while still being fun and comforting. Coaching young boys has taught me patience, confidence, game tactics, drill understanding and how to use my voice to help others. Both babysitting and coaching have taught me how to be responsible to myself and others. 

    In my free time I enjoy being with my friends as most teenagers do, but almost everything we do still revolves around sports.  I ski, do water sports, not only swim, but wake boarding, wake surfing, water skiing and jet skiing. I play soccer with my friends in parks and foot golf occasionally.  I ride bikes recreationally but also participate in the Tour de Cure bike ride each year, for the past 4 years, to support our close friend that has type I diabetes. I volunteer at the hospital each year for the Quinn Driscoll Foundation screening event to help screen the hearts of teen athletes for the prevention of sudden cardiac arrest.  I also love to camp, travel and just hang out with friends and family.