Athlete: Ellie Todd

School: Kewaunee High School

Sports: Volleyball, basketball and softball

Parents: Sara and Ty Miller

Which of your three sports do you find most gratifying and why?

I find softball most gratifying. The environment and camaraderie that softball brings is something I have never experienced outside of this sport. It is extremely gratifying when not only you perform well, but the team performs well. In all my years of playing softball, I am still in awe at how encouraging every girl on my team is and how hungry they are for our team to succeed. I have been surrounded by such selfless and motivating girls throughout my career as a softball player. Even if I do not play my best game, I know my team will be there to pick me up.

You’re known as a bright personality on the team and a bit of a jokester. What’s your strategy for being positive when things might not be going great for the team, like after a loss?

For me, the way to be in a good mood is to see others laughing and having a good time. I’m not very good at brushing things off myself, I am very hard on myself when it comes to making mistakes. While I’m still trying to get better at having a short memory, I try my absolute best to make sure the rest of the team does. I don’t care if someone strikes out 3 times in a game, before their next at bat i’m encouraging them and probably saying something dumb like “oh buddy I could really go for some Mac and cheese with ketchup right now”, in hopes to put them in a better mood. I want everyone to feel like they belong and feel as though we are friends no matter their age, position, performance, or time on varsity.

What was your brightest moment as a high school athlete?

To be honest, I might have to say this. If not this, my brightest moment as a high school athlete was during my junior year volleyball season. It was August and we were playing Mishicot. I was named player of the game and was interviewed by W7. It was more surreal than anything. I could not believe a radio station sat down with me and interviewed me because they thought I was a great athlete.

With so much going on between school and extracurricular activities, do you get any opportunity at all to relax a bit and if so, what do you do to unwind?

While I’m in almost every club ever and do as many sports as the school allows me to do, I do get some down time. Now that my senioritis is at an all time peak, pretty much all my time is free time I’ve decided. Honestly hanging out with my friends and family in any context is my favorite way to relax, but don’t tell them I said that(their egos are big enough).

You’ve decided to attend college at UW-Madison. What will you study and what will you do to satisfy your competitive itch when high school is over?

I am open to new experiences and excited to explore everything Madison has to offer. I will be majoring in Data Science when I go to Madison in the fall. I’m not 100% sure if that will spark my interest and be my future, but I’m open to give anything a shot.

To satisfy my competitive itch in college, I will definitely be participating in some intramurals. There are so many opportunities at Madison for not only sports, but for clubs and so much more. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Do you have siblings?

I am an only child.

Any Pets?

I have three noisy little dogs.

Coke or Pepsi?

Coke

Cake or pie?

100% cake