The grind never ends for Xavier’s Emily Jasper

CEDAR RAPIDS - For sophomore Emily Jasper, free time is not an option.

Jasper contributes to three varsity teams at Xavier High School. She competes in volleyball in the fall, basketball in the winter and tennis in the spring.

Once one sport ends, another is just beginning. While she is a crucial asset to each team, she also competes in club volleyball for Adrenaline for nine months a year and club basketball for Team Iowa for five months a year. She also participates in tennis lessons year-round.

The grind of each season never stops.

'It is very stressful because I have multiple practices every night and I don't have a lot of time for homework, but it is also fun because I get to meet a lot of new people,” Jasper said.

Excelling in three sports comes with many sacrifices.

'When club volleyball season is going, I stay up until 12:30 a.m. doing homework and eating dinner,” she said. 'I have to always be ahead on my homework, otherwise it won't get done. I'm always tired from late nights and having multiple practices everyday is exhausting.”

Jasper is not all serious business. She likes to find the fun in everything she does. She enjoys making her coaches and teammates laugh.

'Besides being talented in volleyball, basketball and tennis, she's really good at making people smile or laugh,” said senior Jessica Callahan, a teammate in volleyball and basketball. 'She always has something to say and it's usually pretty funny.”

Jasper has traveled all over the United States for basketball and volleyball tournaments. Her favorite thing about playing sports is the traveling she gets to do, as well as meeting a lot of new people through school and club. She has competed 10 different states, including Florida, Kentucky and Ohio.

'I have had so many different opportunities through playing competitive sports,” she said. 'I have met some of the best teammates and coaches through all of this. Playing sports has taken me on a journey that I never could have experienced otherwise.”

Jasper was a major contributor to the Xavier volleyball state semifinalist team and looks to make a big impact for Coach Tom Lilly and the girls' basketball team this winter. She is averaging 4.4 points for the 6-3 Saints heading into Christmas break.