This edition of Making of a Champion features Abby Kain, a sophomore from Simley High School in Inver Grove Heights. Abby is an exceptional athlete, and has her sights set on collegiate athletics at a young age. Or more truthfully, collegiate athletics have their eyes on her. A lot of pressure for someone so young. However, Abby is no stranger to rising to the occasion, as you’ll read below!
JS: Abby, bring us up to speed on the sports you are involved in.
AK: Basketball (school and AAU), volleyball, and softball.
JS: Of those, which would you consider to be your Champion sport?
JS: You’ve chosen OSI for physical therapy on a number of occasions. What all have you had treated here?
JS: What has been the best of physical therapy?
AK: The best part of physical therapy is being able to get back into a sport faster and safer with a lower risk of re-injury when you keep up on the provided exercises. I also like how my therapist is checking up on my injury throughout PT and after I was done.
JS: You’re a busy one to keep up with! And what would you consider to be not so fun about therapy?
AK: There is not really a bad part of physical therapy, however having to keep doing exercises everyday once PT is done, is sometimes hard to maintain.
JS: I hear you there! In your young athletic career, have there been obstacles you’ve had to overcome?
AK: There are obstacles that I have had to overcome. The first is giving up different events and activities to be able to make it to basketball games or practices. The second obstacle is injuries. I would either have to play through the pain and hope I could still play my best or sit out, which is sometimes more painful than the injury.
JS: We exist to keep you off the bench and in the action. What would you say is a defining moment when you realized you had reached the Champion level?
AK: I knew I had reached Champion status when I was a starter on the varsity basketball team as an 8th grader. As an 8th grader; I was already getting looked at by D1 colleges. In my first season on varsity, I was lead scorer with 385 points. As a sophomore, I scored my 1,000th point at the beginning of the season.
JS: That is incredible! You’ve drawn significant interest from college athletics programs at a very young age. What Champion ingredient do you have that makes you so marketable?
AK: What makes me so marketable to college programs is my athleticism, coach-ability, and personality. The coaches I have talked to like to hear that I play multiple sports which can help contribute to my basketball. Many coaches also like that I am a post who loves to play with my back to the basket. Not many girls want to do this anymore which gives me an advantage. I have a very interactive personality or “the Minnesota Nice” attitude. I am always trying to learn more about the school and the team.
JS: As exciting as college is to look forward to, you’ve still got two years of high school athletics to compete in. What is your plan to ensure continued Champion success at the high school level?
AK: My plan is to keep working hard and try to get better every time I step on the court or field. I am always looking to make my game better. Currently, I am working on expanding my range of shooting so opponents have to guard me all the way out to the three point line. I am also developing more of my ball handling skills so I can push the basketball up the court. I am open to taking advice and learning new skills from coaches to help improve my skills even more.
I have no doubt that we will be hearing about Abby Kain for many years to come! We’ve put a lot of effort into keeping her on the court, and it has been more than rewarding to watch her crush competition on the basketball and volleyball courts. I’m looking forward to her taking the mound this spring in softball season. Should be a great one! As always, thank you Abby for being a part of our OSI family!