The countdown is on until the last bell on June 11^th rings; the only thing standing between students and their three months of freedom. For most this would mean lounging by the pool or lake and enjoying late summer nights. For seniors this is a different scenario altogether. That bell officially ends their high school experience and gives them liberty, and introduces the responsibilities of adulthood.

While the students may their separate ways, they still have Arrowhead High School in common.  Before you know it, days go by, and then weeks, then four years, you’re walking up that stage and grasping your diploma all before you have time to say “Go Warhawks!”

One can find high school stressful; between the math test on Tuesday, essay due Thursday, and speech to present on Friday it’s enough to drive one over the edge.  Now picture taking on the weekly school work load while traveling to a different part of the country every week. Senior Alex Rigsby is an amateur hockey player who has dedicated and rearranged her life around her sport.

            Rigsby is a champion hockey player for the Milwaukee jr. Admirals, an all boys team,   which has brought her to competitions all around the globe from Chicago, Illinois to Moscow, Russia.  All the traveling has caused Rigsby’s schedule to fill up fast and has found herself spending late nights catching up on homework. She soon found what does and does not matter and where her priorities must lie.

            “The main advice I can give to underclassmen is to make sure you stay on top of your homework and study. It will make your life so much easier,” Rigsby states.

The endless hours paid off when Rigsby was accepted into the University of Wisconsin-Madison, on a full ride scholarship for hockey. Being her first choice in college, Rigsby is excited to join a team that has won three national championships in the past five years.

Within the next week Rigsby will be undergoing a surgery on her hip because of the wear and tear of such a rough sport. Planning on majoring in the medical field for sports, Rigsby will get a firsthand experience on the practice.  

When asked about it, Rigsby simply put it “I’m not scared. I am looking forward to getting it over with and begin my recovery.”

College causes friends to go on different courses in life, but Rigsby will be joining other classmates in Madison.

“There’s no doubt,” Rigsby says “my friends are going to be the number one thing I’m going to miss.”