Frazier
Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program Myers a leader in all aspects
PERRYOPOLIS-Vanessa Myers was so highly regarded as a Frazier athlete that she was named a captain of the girls volleyball team and girls basketball team as a senior.
The captain’s role varied drastically from each of those seasons, however. While the Lady Commodores reached the WPIAL playoffs in volleyball, as they did in all four of Myers’ seasons, they struggled to a 6-17 record in basketball.
Myers adjusted to both situations.
“Being captain of both teams was a great honor,” Myers said. “The teams were so different, though. Volleyball was a winning team and basketball wasn’t. During volleyball, it was easier. There wasn’t so much negativity. Basketball was different. I had to motivate the girls to not become discouraged and to go out each and every game playing their hardest.
“I’m a very outspoken person, so I loved this job.”
Myers was just as successful in her job of being a student. She is ranked in the top four in her class.
Myers, the 18-year-old daughter of Michael and Cynthia Myers of Vanderbilt, was selected as the top female student/athlete at Frazier High School and will receive a $500 scholarship through the Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program.
The program, sponsored by Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law in conjunction with the Herald-Standard, will provide $7,000 in scholarship money to 14 of Fayette County’s best and brightest student/athletes.
The program will culminate with a banquet, to be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8, at Uniontown Country Club. At that time, each of 14 honorees will receive $500 toward a college education. HSTV will videotape the program for tape-delayed broadcast.
Myers plays the role of leader in more than just sports at Frazier.
She is treasurer of the National Honor Society, president of the Interact Club, president of the Ecology Club, captain of the Academic League, head of the board of trustees for the student government, vice president of the Hugh O’Brian Leadership Association Alumni, and sports editor of The Commodore Chronicle.
She also is a member of the Foreign Language Club council and the Gifted Class member.
Myers was very active in sports throughout her high school career. She was a four-year letterman in both volleyball, under coach Mandy Hartman, and basketball, currently under coach Chris Lucovitz. She was named to the all-county team in volleyball and was chosen as Frazier’s Scholar/Athlete for basketball. She also was a four-year statistician for the Commodores’ football and basketball teams.
Balancing such an overwhelming array of activities would seem to be a very difficult task. Not so, said Myers. She just didn’t have very much free time.
“It was surprisingly easy for me,” said Myers, who has one brother, 20-year-old Zachary. “I always made sure I had everything done before I went to the game, or I did it after practice. I was involved in a ton of extra-curriculars, which kept me super busy. I never really had any time off from school, sports, or extra-curriculars.
“I adjusted quickly as a freshman. I had watched my older brother go through high school playing sports and keeping high grades and I adopted a lot of his policies.”
Myers has learned a lot from her parents as well.
“I look up to my parents,” she said. “They are amazing. They balance their careers and their family life in a wonderful way. It’s a great privilege to have such awesome people in my life. They never failed to go to my games or my banquets or anything else. They are always there for me.”
There were friends and coaches Myers admired, too, most notably fellow senior Jessica Stahl and assistant volleyball coach Donnie Hartman.
“I’ve been playing sports with my friend Jessica since third grade,” Myers said. “We went through everything together … the victories, the defeats, and the practices. She was always there for me.
“And coach Hartman was a great influence on me. He pushed me to do my best and leave everything I had on the floor. He was a phenomenal motivator.”
Just as Myers as been a phenomenal leader and student/athlete during her Frazier career.
Paull prefers to see bright side
Frazier’s baseball team made the WPIAL playoffs when John Paull III was a sophomore, and the Commodores battled for a spot in the postseason during his junior year before winding up in third place.
So one would think finishing his senior season on a last-place team would leave a bitter taste in Paull’s mouth. Not so, however.
“It was still a lot of fun,” Paull said. “We had a lot of young kids on the team. Everyone was trying their best. We made a lot of errors because we were so young, but we all pulled together as the season went on.”
While seniors and freshmen sometimes mix like vinegar and oil, the good-natured Paull had nothing against his younger teammates.
“We had about five seniors and we tried to help out the team as much as we could,” said the 17-year-old son of John Jr. and Elaine Paull of Perryopolis. “We were friends with all the freshmen. The team had a tough year, but we tried to keep the rest of the team playing hard and tried to help them keep their heads up. We had a good group of kids. I liked them all.”
To Paull, the bottom line isn’t always wins and losses. School work is much more important, and he certainly excelled at that.
Paull is ranked fifth in his class with a 4.0 GPA.
Paull was selected as the top male student/athlete at Frazier High School and will receive a $500 scholarship through the Fayette County Student/Athlete Scholarship Program.
The program, sponsored by Davis and Davis Attorneys at Law in conjunction with the Herald-Standard, will provide $7,000 in scholarship money to 14 of Fayette County’s best and brightest student/athletes.
The program will culminate with a banquet, to be held at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 8, at Uniontown Country Club. At that time, each of 14 honorees will receive $500 toward a college education. HSTV will videotape the program for tape-delayed broadcast.
Paull is a member of the National Honor Society, the Interact Club, the Ski Club, Mon-Valley Performers and the Ecology Club, and is an usher at New Salem Presbyterian Church.
“I always kept my grades up because our coaches always emphasized grades over sports,” said Paull, who has one sister, 19-year-old Katrina.
Paull will attend Thiel College this fall where he intends to major in Pre-Med and play for the baseball team.
At Frazier, Paull was a member of the basketball team as a freshman and the golf team as a senior, but baseball was his specialty.
Paull was a four-year lettermen for the Commodores, who are coached by Ray Smitley, and was named to the all-county team. He also is a member of the Perryopolis American Legion baseball team.
“Baseball has always been my favorite sport, every since Little League,” said Paull, who has been a starter for Frazier since his sophomore season.
Paull loves baseball so much, he doesn’t even care or distinguish what level he plays it at. When asked for one of his top thrills in his high school career, he pointed out a junior varsity game in which he hit a pair of home runs as a sophomore.
“It’s just fun playing, especially when you have friends on the team,” Paull said
Paull was a pitcher and catcher for Frazier this past season. He prefers the less glamorous position behind the plate.
“You get a lot of bruises back there, but you sort of can control the tempo of the game,” Paull said. “When you’re back there you’re involved with every pitch and just about every play of the game. I love the challenge of people trying to run on me when they get on base, too.”
Paull may not let losses bother him, but he’s a competitor just the same and has played on some outstanding teams.
Paul was a two-year member of Belle Vernon’s Pony League and helped it go 18-0 both seasons.
He began playing golf less than a year ago.
“I just started playing last summer with my dad,” Paull said. “I sort of taught myself and was doing OK and my dad said, ‘Why don’t you try out for the school’s team?’ I did and made it as one of the starters. Coach (Larry) Mikesell helped me out a lot then.
“Golf is one of the most frustrating sports I ever played, but it’s still a lot of fun and it’s nice to go on all the different courses and have a good time.”
Once again, looking on the bright side … that’s something John Paull III does naturally.