High school athletes look up to a variety of people. Some may be influenced by college or professional athletes, while others see celebrities as people to model themselves after.

Brooklyn Gobble is an athlete at Ripley High School and she says that her role models are people whom she has known and looked up to for a long time.

“My parents have spent countless hours helping me perfect my crafts and always pushing me to be the best player and the best person I could be,” Gobble said. “My dad sacrificed a lot working away from home so that financially I could compete at the highest level. My older sister Bailey is four years older than me and was an amazing softball player.

“As a little girl, I told myself and my mom that I was gonna be better than her. We would always play catch in the yard and our favorite game was burnout. I was always determined at some point I was going to be able to throw harder than her so I could finally win. She also had an amazing bat and was known for all of her home runs.”

Gobble, who is in her senior year, is a multisport athlete for the Warriors, playing fastpitch softball, basketball, and slowpitch softball. She is also a member of the yearbook, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Ripley Academic Society.

The success that Gobble has enjoyed during her career is something that she has earned with a lot of work and dedication.

“My success has a lot to do with the Lord and the natural abilities He has blessed me with,” she said. “But I have taken those abilities and put in hours and hours of extra work over the years. It’s also taken mental toughness. There have been some negative comments that have pushed me to be even better. So mental toughness plays a huge role in anyone’s success in life or as an athlete.”

With graduation in the near future, Gobble already has her sights set on her post-high school days.

“I am going to attend Oklahoma Baptist University and further my academic and softball career as well as majoring in business management,” she said.