Photo by Gabriella Hurtado with Emerald Sky Photography
Lily Hunter
Lily will be an 8th grader at Tomlin Middle School next school year, and she is quite the athlete. Lily plays multiple sports, including Cheerleading for the Plant City Dolphins, Volleyball for the YMCA, Soccer for the Plant City Rec, and she was on the 7th-grade basketball team at Tomlin. On top of that, she’s currently the only girl on her Plant City Rise Flag Football Team.
Which sport have you been playing the longest?
Cheerleading! I started cheering for the Plant City Dolphins in the 1st grade. This Fall, I will be on Varsity, which will also be my last season with the Dolphins. It’s bittersweet, but the journey doesn’t stop there. My goal is to be prepped and ready to continue my cheer career at PCHS.
Which sport do you enjoy the most and why?
Aside from Cheerleading, as it’s what I do BEST, I would have to say Flag Football is also a sport I genuinely enjoy! I just finished my first season with RISE Plant City, while training in FishHawk, and it was very exhilarating!
Which sport that you do would you say is the most challenging and why?
Basketball for SURE! 7th grade was my first season on the Tomlin basketball team, it was new territory for me. It’s easy to shoot a basket in an empty gym, but learning the different plays, player positions, and building game-day form was challenging.
How often are you practicing since you’re doing so many sports?
The only day I rest is the Lord’s day! Depending on the season, if I’m not practicing with the teams I am on, then I am at home working on my skills to continue bettering myself.
Which sport would you say you’re best at and why?
This question is hard. I would have to say Cheerleading or Volleyball. I try to give my best ability at every sport I go out for, there will always be new skills to learn or techniques that can be practiced, however these two sports, I am most confident in my performance!
Is there a sport you haven’t played that you want to give a shot? If so, what is it?
Absolutely! I love to swim, I could totally see myself joining a competitive swim team and being very successful.
You told me you’re the only girl on your Plant City Rise Flag Football team. Did it take some time getting adjusted to just playing with boys?
Being the only girl on the flag football team was very intimidating; the boys did not take it easy on me, but they also did not treat me differently, which helped develop my flag football skills. I learned a lot from each of them, especially the coach. I plan to keep up with Flag football in 8th grade and high school.
When you get to high school, do you plan on playing all of these sports as well or narrowing it down?
I’m going to do it all! Give each team I make 110%. I enjoy being involved, I would consider myself incredibly humble, outgoing, and athletic. I appreciate the moment and sports at Tomlin, but also looking forward to the PCHS teams!
When you’re not playing sports, what are you doing in your free time?
In my free time, I am volunteering within the community, enjoying a pool/beach day with my family, or hanging out with friends.
What are your plans for the
Summer now that school is out?
Outside of attending Cheer, Basketball and Volleyball Clinics, my family and I made a summer bucket list. We added all of the things we would like to do this summer, a wide variety of activities from having a day without our phones, to visiting Universal Studios, and a lot in between. We even got a suggestion to put the ideas in a bucket to pull the activities at random.
