When walking through the halls you might see 6’2″ junior Ava Adamopoulos. She’s probably wearing sweats. She might be headed to the girls’ locker room, or on her way to her intership with athletic director Tim Brillo. You can bet that sports will somewhow be a part of her day.
“When playing sports, you suffer heartbreaks on the court or field. I’m proud that after a loss I can hold my head high and say ‘I learned something from that,’” said Adamopoulos
Adamopoulos interns with Brillo in her spare time at school. She does such things as write up certificates and schedule officials for sports games.
“The reason I intern with Mr. Brillo is because hopefully someday I have the opportunity to coach or work with a sports team. Brillo is a great role model and I learn a lot from interning with him,” said Adamopoulos.
Teammate and friend freshman Zoe Bryan-Nelson said, “Before I met Ava, I didn’t know much about her. All I knew was that she played basketball, was in band, and was very tall. After I spent time with her during volleyball practices and got to know her, I’ve learned that she is a very funny, kind, and energy-filled girl. Everyone on my volleyball team loves Ava and I can see why!”.
Adamopoulos is looking forward to track season this year.
“Last year I did what I thought was impossible,” Adamopoulos said, referring to her Western Mass.-qualifying season, “and this year I want to see how far I can push myself.”
Adamopoulos hopes to place in the top three in discus and shot put this year at Western Mass. During her free time, Adamopoulos enjoys reading and shooting hoops.
About a year ago, Adamopoulos had to cope with the passing of her younger brother, Gus. She says that they shared the love of sports and that he is always in her thoughts.
“Gus and I were always competitive; he would even beat me sometimes when we competed in different sports. I know that he would’ve wanted me to push myself, and that’s what keeps me going. I think about him all the time and I know he’d want me to be happy.”
Family is very important to Adamopoulos and she says that she loves that she has the supportive family she does.