Alaina Strates '24 Recruiting Profile

Dear Coaches,

I would consider myself a great student-athlete, I am enrolled in all honors classes and have taken some AP classes in the past. I'm happily passing with all A's so far in my high school career. Along with being a student, I also am pushing myself every day in my athletics. I throw the shot put and discus, my freshman year started off strong, I broke both records in my school along with traveling to states. At states during the 2021 season, I placed 8th in shotput and 9th in discus. There was a bump in the road before my sophomore year (2022) season had begun. Unfortunately, I suffered a concussion prior to the season and was not cleared to compete until the season had finished. This year, my junior year, I am coming back stronger and faster than ever. Along with throwing I also compete in olympic weightlifting throughout the years and I have had many high accomplishments in the sport. I have placed high in the nation each year that I have gone to nationals and in 2020 I became the first youth athlete in Delaware to ever place top 3 at USAW Youth nationals. Lifting allows me to get stronger, more explosive, and keeps me active throughout and after my throwing season. Not only am I a student-athlete but I am also an employee of a local restaurant, where I have earned the title of "Head of Support Staff" after only a few months of working there. With everything on my plate, I also contribute my time throughout the day to the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company where I am a volunteer firefighter, I put in hundreds of hours each year. Something someone reading this may be wondering why I pack my schedule so full and have the energy to do it all. If I'm being completely honest, I don't always have unlimited energy however I do have heart, and heart is what drives me to get better every single day. Once I have my mind on something I am driven to achieve it no matter the cost. My core values are very important to me and something that will never change. Character. By definition, “character” means the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. This shows that every person has a different mentality; my character has a body, heart, and spirit. My body is honor; my heart is courage; and my spirit is commitment and those are the things that will push me to my limits and then surpass them to find new ones and set me apart from the rest.

Sincerely, Alaina Strates