There are people in each of our lives that we look up to because of how they carry themselves or what they do for a living. For some it may be a professional athlete or celebrity, while others may look up to their parents. But for Greg McCurdy, he looks up to a family member because of their toughness. “One person I look up to the most is my cousin Tae,” McCurdy said. “She is fighting cancer and she is winning. She is one of the toughest people I know.”

McCurdy is a senior at Grove High School whose athletic career has spanned many years including 13 years of football, 10 years of basketball, and six years of track. He plays slot receiver and free safety on the football field, while on the basketball court he plays shooting guard. He runs hurdles as a member of the track team. 

Being a solid athlete requires a lot, especially if you want to be a successful athlete. And McCurdy says he has done what it takes to get where he is. “It has taken a lot of hard work to get where I am today,” he said. “There have been sacrifices and even some missed sleep. But in the end, it all pays off.”

Throughout all sports, Greg says that Baltimore Ravens quarterback, Lamar Jackson, is the professional player that he looks up to the most. “He does not care what anyone says,” he said. “And he does not make excuses. He just does his job and he does it great.”

As a student at Grove, Greg has sat through lessons from numerous teachers, but he says that there is one teacher that has had a big influence on him. “Mrs. Cohea would have to be my favorite teacher,” McCurdy said. “Along with math, she also taught me that there are no excuses.”

With his high school years coming to an end, Greg has some advice for those incoming freshmen. “Work your butt off for what you want,” he said. “That is the only way you will get it, you have to be willing to put in the work.”