‘Springs’ into action: Move doesn’t slow talented junior
By MARIAH RAMIREZ
The Tower
Michailla Springs is a former Spartan turned Buffalo, maintaining her excellence in academics as well as athletics with a positive attitude and work ethic.
Springs started at Lathrop High, earning a spot on the girls varsity basketball team as a freshman. Eventually, she joined the track and field team as a sprinter. At the start of the 2022-23 school year, Springs transferred to Manteca High School and joined the Lady Buffs tennis team on a whim in hopes of finding new connections and experiences.
Upon joining the tennis team, Springs was soon recognized for her athleticism by her coaches.
Springs was initially placed on the doubles ladder, but now finds herself as the No. 4 singles player for the Buffaloes, one of the top girls programs in the Sac-Joaquin Section. The Buffaloes went on to win Valley Oak League in 2022, with Springs a major contributor.
Last winter, Springs, as a sophomore, secured a spot on the varsity basketball team yet again.
While she participates in three sports, Springs maintains a grade-point average of 4.0-4.5 and keeps a busy social calendar. She’s made new friends and excelled in her classes.
Computer Applications teacher Christopher Kimble has witnessed her growth as a student. He honored Springs at the Teacher’s Choice Ceremony in April.
“Simply put, I most appreciate Michailla’s commitment to excellence. Having had the honor of being both her teacher, and coach, I can attest to Michailla’s desire to do well. She exhibits a pride in her work and willingness to learn in both arenas; and that will only continue to push her towards success. She’s becoming more of a leader each day and continues to lead by example in the classroom and on the court. Choosing her for my 2022-23 Teacher’s Choice recipient was an easy task and I’m excited to watch her continue to reach her goals,” said Kimble.
The Tower sat down with Michailla Springs and talked about her experiences at her past high school, athletics, her role model, and her affinity for Manteca High.
The Tower: When did you feel like your identity from Lathrop High shifted into the one that is now at Manteca High?
Michailla Springs: I think that my identity kind of shifted when I started participating more in sports. I feel like when I became part of a team, it kind of changed my culture because I was representing Manteca instead of Lathrop. In sports, you're competing for a purpose. You're not just competing for yourself, but you have to represent your school. I feel like that's kind of when I started shifting into who I am at Manteca.
She shoots, she scores!
Michailla Springs shoots over a double team as a member of the Manteca High girls basketball team.
(Photo contributed)
TT: Was the shift to Manteca High difficult considering the sports you're involved in?
MS: I think it was a challenge, but at the same time doing sports, it helped me connect with people. Before I started playing tennis, in the fall when I first transferred, I didn't know anyone, and it was really hard to connect to people. I would eat lunch alone outside. Once I started participating in sports and being part of the school, it became easier to meet people and I felt more comfortable around the campus.
TT: What habits do you have to balance schoolwork and athletics?
MS: Balancing school and sports is really hard. I feel like what has helped me most is holding myself accountable and just taking care of myself. Getting enough sleep and making sure I eat is also important. If I don't feel good in my body, then I'm not gonna want to do all this training for sports and then come home and do hours of homework after school. It’s mostly that you need to have that mindset to take care of yourself in order to be productive and be able to do more.
TT: What strengths do you believe you have that make you a great athlete?
MS: I think what makes people a great athlete is just being competitive and wanting to go out there and compete. Most of the time I feel like in sports it's not about who has better skill levels or who's trained the most. Sometimes it's about who wants to win more and who has the heart to go out and just perform and win and their determination.
TT: Is there a coach or athlete that you look up to as a role model and why?
MS: A coach that I look up to is Mr. Kimble; he's also a teacher at the school. I think it's because he just always holds other people accountable and he also holds himself accountable and he has this mindset of confidence.