By Derrick Smith

Competing in sports offers an athlete many things. The chance to grow as an athlete and as a person, compete alongside friends, and learn how to get better at a sport you enjoy. Breely Stengel says that there is another plus to competing in sports and it is what she attributes her success to.

“Making friends has definitely helped me be successful in my sports,” she said. “Jericho Burrow was one of the main reasons for me even considering powerlifting. She pushed me to keep going even when I wanted to quit. Jericho is the reason I placed at many of the powerlifting meets and I’m going to miss her so much when I graduate.”

A senior at Miami High School, Stengel competes in powerlifting, golf, and cheer.  She says that if you want to motivate her to do something, it takes just one simple thing.

“A good vanilla coke,” she said. “That is always a great motivation for me. Especially if I don’t want to do a specific task.”

There are a number of teammates that Breely has had over the years, but she says that there is one that she feels is a little underappreciated.

“Bobbie Riley in my opinion is underrated,” she said. “She’s a total sponge. She remembers every count or motion to everything in cheer. She is super light-hearted and always knows how to make me laugh. But she hasn’t really had an opportunity to shine in cheer. This was her first year and she was definitely overlooked in the beginning but as the season moved on, she grew more and more so I’m excited to see how far she goes with it.”

Throughout her life, Stengel says that she has had a lot of support, but she says that there is one person that has had the most impact on her. 

“I would have to say that my dad is the biggest role model in my life,” she said. “He has always pushed me to be the best I can be. He always knows how to make me laugh when I’ve had a bad day and will even make a joke if I do anything wrong.”