Dorsey junior Alexis Lewis is ready to run, whether it’s for the Donnas girl’s basketball team or for track and field and cross-country competitions.
“Balancing three sports, it is hard, very hard,” Lewis said. “But I love running, it’s easy.”
This season, she is adapting to the rigors of Varsity-level competition. The Donnas girl’s basketball team have a close bond. Lewis makes sure she includes the new members of the team when engaging in activities off the court.
“We’ll hang out during our free time, nutrition or during lunch,” Lewis said. “We’ll talk about each other, help each other out,”
A tough game for Lewis was her first game as a Donna, she had to adjust to a new environment and teammates.
“It was hard getting to know everybody, getting comfortable,” Lewis said. “I’m still trying to get out of my shell, be more confident.”
Lewis has learned from her coaches the importance of playing her game. Through gameplay, she is working on her communication skills.
Lewis desires to continue Dorsey’s storied legacy in the 400m event, she also runs the 800m and 4x400m for the girls track team. Due to her passion in track, Lewis talks to coaches and others with track experience about it.
“One of my teachers, she’s a track alumni,” Lewis said. “I love to talk to her about track.”
During the City Section Final for Division III Cross Country, Lewis came in 17th. To train for Cross Country, Lewis does hill workouts and resistance training. She joked that Cross Country is a form of punishment used in other sports.
“It’s a lot, requires a lot of endurance, we’ll do a six-mile workout with hills,” Lewis said.
Track and Cross Country also gets Lewis conditioned for basketball season. Running up and down the court during gameplay does not tire her out as fast, allowing her to play more minutes.
“Running in general, that’s my favorite thing to do,” Lewis said. “It just clears my head; the whole day is behind me as I’m running.
During her sophomore year, Lewis was taking AP European History and AP Chemistry. Her rigorous academic schedule caused her to quit the JV basketball team and she only focused on running as well as academics.
“It was hard to balance, but I got on top of it, got my grades up and it was good,” Lewis said. “Dorsey, they’re there for you academically.”
Lewis wants to pursue track during her college years. gains inspiration to play basketball from her mother, who also played basketball when she was in high school.
“I seen her raise three kids,” Lewis said. “Seeing her jersey, her picture, her playing basketball, I look up to her a lot, she’s strong.”
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