Spring Branch ISD February 2023

S T R A T F O R D ’ S G E O R G E L E A V E S L E G A C Y O F H A R D WO R K GRIND THE \\ Matt Malatesta

committed to the University of Utah, which plays in the PAC-12 , because I want to play against the best in the country.” With all of that stress, George had to have an outlet , right? “I’m actually in theatre. I love it . I love the people,” she said. “It ’s something totally different from volleyball and it lets me cut loose.” She has per formed in the likes of Legally Blonde and Peter Pan over the years. Whether on the cour t or on the stage, George loves to lead. “I really didn’ t like individual spor ts,” she said. “ There is something about everyone coming together and having success. I love being a par t of a team and being a leader. I’ve always had that quality. I like my teams to have energy… everyone matters, whatever role you may play.” She has aspirations of playing professional volleyball overseas after her time at Utah, and plans to be in athletics as a career. “I’m good with kids,” she said. “I’d love to coach or be in spor ts psychology. I know how girls work . Everyone is so different and you have to communicate with each athlete differently as a coach. I’m fascinated with how to get the most out of each girl.” She can use herself as her first case study.

as a freshman for the playoffs, but the Spartans didn’t qualify for the postseason. Her sophomore season was her break-out year. “Coach (Jennifer Adcock) called my number to star t the first game. I had to check my jersey to see if she was talking to me. The rest is history.” As her confidence and cour t IQ caught up with her athleticism, she began to get recognized. Her work ethic never wavered and her leadership made her a two time team captain. “Everything is going to work out if you put in the hard work ,” she said. “I just kept going. My dad would have me doing sprints on my street and getting more explosive in our garage throughout high school. It just paid off.” While her play at Stratford made her a household name around Houston, she struggled to get the recognition in recruiting circles. “My recruiting process was a crazy one,” she said. “I really had to work at that , too. There were times I would leave practice and not know if playing college volleyball was going to work out . I had to really grind at the club level. I had to work my butt off and go the ex tra mile. It didn’ t come easy. I had schools interested in me, but I wanted to play at the highest level. I

was on a Level 4 team and they put me front and center, but I just couldn’ t get that back tuck . So, my dad had me doing jump boxes and plyometrics in my garage until I got it . That ’s just how I am programmed.” She ran track , swam and played soccer growing up as well , until… “I did volleyball on the side and played in a church league growing up,” she said. “I made the junior high team and made it . I was athletic but didn’ t ’ understand the game or where to be. I loved it and star ted getting pretty good. I got into club and looked up to the girls going to big colleges. I knew I wanted to do that .” She was moved up to varsity

SKYLAR GEORGE HAS BEEN ONE OF THE DISTRICT’S MOST ATHLETIC HITTERS SINCE SHE WALKED ON STRATFORD’S CAMPUS FOUR YEARS AGO. The District MVP has been a three-time, all-district first teamer and led her team to an undefeated district title in 2022 . At 6-foot-1, it ’s somewhat surprising how athletic George is. It dates back to her competitive cheer days. “Cheering for Texas Lone Star when I was young, made me an overall athlete. It keeps you in great shape,” she laughs. “It sounds weird, but I was lifting and spotting girls and doing running tumbling and back tucks. Can you imagine these long legs doing a back tuck? I

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