Oswego East Co-Student Athlete of the Week

Alexia Stamas has the honor of being one of the few Oswego East athletes to be nominated twice as student athlete of the week in her respective sport. As a senior leader, and someone who has captained the team since her sophomore year, Alexia leads in a quiet and supportive manner, allowing her teammates to enjoy the fruits of their difficult labor. As her head coach, Ms. Sarah Dugan puts it, [Alexia] deserves more recognition than she gets for all her hard work and dedication.” Alexia’s hard work is what has earned her this week’s recognition as Oswego East co-student Athlete of the week.

In most sports, spectators are unaware of the nuanced fundamentals and small details that make athletes great. Even with modern technology allowing viewers to see clear details in ultra-slow-motion speed, the casual fan will miss most of the very small details that usually mean the difference between succeeding and failing. Gymnastics is one of the few sports that even casual fans can usually recognize when the most trained athlete missteps or is off balance. This is most likely due to its popularity in the Olympics, its demand for perfection, and because it is one of the few sports where as an athlete, you are not competing against an opponent directly. The pressure can be too much for some, but Alexia uses it as a catalyst for success.

Alexia’s greatest strengths allow her to perform on a stage where others would crumble. Her parents, Tom and Nicole Stamas, have seen her grow since freshmen year and recognize her many strengths. “Alexia is a hard worker, appreciates challenges, and strives to do her best,” said Tom and Nicole. They go on to say, “She has a quiet self-confidence about her, and appreciates the support and encouragement she receives from her teammates and coaches.” Head coach Sarah Dugan echoes those statements by saying, “[Alexia] is extremely determined at each practice and always puts forth her best effort, as well as being a great teammate by always cheering others on and being a good role model.”

Alexia competes in all exercises, with her best being the floor exercise, with a high score of a 9.35. Although she fell short of competing at the state finals, she was the only member of the Oswego team to stick her beam routine, and performed very well on the floor. Alexia was also named to the all-conference team, and was nominated for senior gymnast of the year through the IHSA.

The floor exercise is not the only area of Alexia’s life where she excels. She is also an excellent student, having earned a 3.62 G.P.A while being enrolled in rigorous courses such as advanced placement (AP) English, AP Physics, and Pre-Calculus. Her future plans include attending Northern Arizona University in the fall, and majoring in physical therapy. Her medical topics teacher Ms. Julie Wolley describes Alexia as, “Smart, hard-working, and always on task.” She goes on to say, “[Alexia] gets along well with her peers, and I believe she will do great in the medical field, and make an excellent physical therapist.”

Alexia will compete in track this spring before receiving her diploma in May, and her success, and other students like her, are the reason Oswego East have earned the recognition it has over the past two years. Having run the gauntlet of academics, athletics, and social activities, Alexia’s advice to future wolves should be heard by all. “Make sure to get involved in as many things as possible, whether it is athletics, clubs, or organizations.” We here at East thank Alexia for her contributions athletically and academically, and wish her nothing but the best next year at Northern Arizona.