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by Abby Bench
Section Editor
Despite being a three-sport athlete with a 4.0 who excels in almost everything she does, Tori Day is described as being kind, quiet, and extremely humble. She balances her busy life between work, school, family, friends, and of course sports.
“Tori is a triple threat. She’s crazy smart, super talented, and so pretty,” said sophomore Aubrie Stiglich. “Not only is she taking all honors classes, but she has a 4.0 all the time which is something I wish I could do. She also is the best at everything she tries; she’s everything I wish I could be.”
The thing that Day is probably best known for would be sports, specifically swim. She also plays soccer and does track. In all of the sports she participates in she does her best and is constantly trying to improve. Each sport offers something different for her.
Swim has been part of her life for around five years. Starting out on the Mount Pleasant swim team “The Betas” when she was younger, Day has been successful as she’s moved to the high school team.
“I hated it at first,“ Day said. “I do it because I enjoy it now. After those first couple years went by I’ve had more fun, I interact more with people, and I help people.”
Day recently swam at state and took 7th in the 500-yard freestyle earning a medal. She’s also broken quite a few records even though she’s only a sophomore. Both her coaches and teammates are looking forward to what she’ll do next.
Throughout the swim season, Day has broken multiple records. She’s broken the 200 free, 500 free, and both the 200 and 400 free relays. Day also holds the records for the special events 50 back and the 100 IM.
“I think she’s gonna wipe the record board,” said her broher, Spencer Day. “She knows she’s good enough to do it; she just needs to convince herself that she can. She has to get over the mental part.”
Tori Day and her brother have always swam together. In fact, it was their older sister Nicole that started the chain of swimmers in their family. Swimming with siblings has its pros and cons, but they’ve enjoyed it overall.
“I’ve always been swimming with them,” Spencer Day said. “It gives an extra push in the pool because you can’t have your siblings showing you up. We’ve just been able to help each other because we know each other really well and we understand each other.”
Like swim, Day has been playing soccer for a while. She started in elementary school and has played on and off since then. Now that she’s in high school she hopes to play more consistently. Last year was her first time being part of the high school team.
“[Soccer] is way different from track and swim because you have a team and you have to depend on each other in order to win,” Day said. “I like that feeling better than the other sports. You have more fun when you all are on the same page and you all do the same stuff.”
Soccer is the only team sport she plays. Track, which she just started last year, is much more individual-based. Despite that, track is where Day is most social.
“We train as a team, and we’re always talking and then we split into our specialized things and we just talk a lot,” Day said. “I feel like I talk more at track than soccer and swim combined.”
Sports aren’t the only things Day values. Family is important to Day as well, but with each of them having different and very busy schedules, it can be hard to find time to spend together. When they do, one of Day’s favorite things to do is to go to their cabin.
“We have a cabin in the mountains, and we all gather there,” Day said. “We’re away from the world and we can just spend personal time with each other and we don’t have to worry about outside distractions, and it’s been really nice. I like how peaceful and quiet it is.”
Day values peace and quiet. She’s a bit of an introvert unless she knows someone and is comfortable with them. She can be social but doesn’t mind spending time by herself, especially if she has a book to read.
“This girl reads so much,” Stiglich saidw. “Like it takes her a day or less to finish a book that would take me a dedicated week. Every day it’s a new book.”
In her busy life, books offer an escape and a way to release stress. She mainly reads sci-fi or fantasy. She always seems to have a book on her.
“[Books] have shown me the different aspects of life that everyone could have,” Day said. “How even though some things can seem impossible, there’s always a solution if you work hard enough and look for it.”
Not only does Day love reading, she also plays the piano, and takes French, sewing, and percussion. She works as a lifeguard at the pool, helps her grandparents on their farm, and enjoys serving others as well. She is a great student, friend, and teammate.
“She is skilled in every sport and is one of my main competitors,” Stiglich said. “She’s also really, really sweet, doing sports with her really brought us closer. She’s there for me when I need help, and I’m there for her when she needs help. We run together, practice together and cheer each other on.”
Sports have changed Day’s life for the better. She’s gained friends, teammates, and experiences through them. She hopes to be able to inspire others to find this love of sports as well.
“I could make a difference in somebody’s life,” Day said. “I’ve seen all these quotes that say when you grow up you still want to remember that girl inside of you that remembered how to love that sport. I want to be that inspiration for someone else so that they can find that girl.”
