There is more that goes into sports than just showing up and competing. There is a lot of time and effort involved so that the athlete is fully prepared. Aiyanna Gibson says that her dedication to putting in the work has helped her get to where she is.

“I think my work ethic has made the biggest impact on my success in sports,” she said. “I train most mornings and nights for as long as I can remember. Even on the days where I am feeling lazy, I force myself up to get some shots in or my run in. I also think playing other sports helps me be a better basketball player.”

Gibson is a freshman at Glenpool High School, where she competes in softball, cross country, basketball, soccer, and track. Away from sports, she is currently involved in the Native American Student Association and the student council.

While there are days when she may not feel like giving her full effort during competition, Gibson says that there is something that keeps her going and helps her to push through.

“My biggest motivation is my love for the game,” she said. “It runs deep and I also love the team atmosphere. It feels like it’s me and my teammates against everyone else and that motivates me to be the best player I can be. I don’t want to let my teammates and coaches down.”

Throughout her career, Aiyanna has made a lot of memories on and off the field and court. But she says that while she enjoys them all, there is one that really stands out for her.

“It’s hard to pick just one, but I guess I will go with the most recent highlight,” she said. “My teammates and I played in the Run 4 Roses tournament over the summer and we ended up winning the platinum championship. It’s one of my favorite highlights because I’ve never been challenged as hard as I did at that tournament. My teammates and I had to dig deep and have faith in each other to win that championship. It’s definitely one of our hardest earned championships and the feeling of success we had after that tournament is hard to describe but such a great feeling.”