AOTW: Gracie Raiff ready to leave her mark with Tipp
Ed. Note: This week, our Tippecanoe Female Athlete is cross country runner and softball player Gracie Raiff, heading into her senior year wanting her best year yet.
She is relatively new in the world of running, but Tippecanoe senior Gracie Raiff has jumped into the sport of cross country and despite last year being her first season in the sport, Raiff enjoyed getting to run with her new teammates and is preparing for what she hopes is a great final year with the Red Devils.
“I am very excited for this upcoming season,” she said. “The girls are amazing and really do make running easier, we’re always pushing each other and wanting the best for one another.”
“The coaching staff is genuinely the best. They will never let you fall behind in and out of the sport. I couldn’t do it without Coach Kimmel and Coach Lieber.”
She is preparing for the start of the new season, which starts in just over one week.
“This senior year I plan to just give it my all,” Raiff said. “It may only be my second season running but it’s also my last season running so I’m just trusting God and working hard.”
“I know that if I just remain faithful and hardworking I can make this season great, not only for myself but for my coaches and teammates.”
While Raiff is ready for the long Saturday runs with her team, she also is preparing for another season as a member of the Tippecanoe softball team, which went through some tough times last year but she is ready for a turnaround.
“Last year may not have been what we planned or wanted but it was definitely an eye-opening experience that we all can learn from,” Raiff said. “I truly believe that if myself and the girls work hard and give it our all we can make it a great year.”
“No matter what this year may bring I plan on staying faithful as I am trying to be recruited for college. It is an honor to play the sport I love for Tipp and I really want the most out of this year for myself and all my teammates.”
Raiff has been spending the summer preparing for both sports, doing plenty of workouts and conditioning to get herself into her best shape for the season.
“This offseason has been very exciting,” she said. “I am currently doing sports training with Sam Faulkner, summer softball with Mov Pride, and of course cross country training. It’s definitely busy and hard but I love it. I can’t wait to put it all into use this upcoming season.”
As her Red Devil sports career comes to an end next year, she will always take away the fun things she experienced during her time with Tippecanoe.
“A great memory from cross country is being able to go to Kentucky with the team last year,” she said. “The girls welcomed me with open arms and the coaches motivated me and prayed with me and I really appreciated that. We had so much fun and ate great snacks and it will always be one of my best cross memories.”
“Softball has had many ups and downs but is full of good memories. Some of my favorites were getting an in the park home run off of a slap hit, praying before the games, watching movies on the bus with Charlize McCormick, and laughing with my girls. I can’t wait for this last year to make even better ones.”
