SUPER SARAH: TWCA's Chappelle setting lofty goals for track; life
SARAH CHAPPELLE HAS LEFT A TREMENDOUS LEGACY AT THE WOODLANDS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY.
But, she’s just getting started.
The senior track star has hopes of setting the TAPPS Class 5A State Record in the 300 hurdles on her way
out this Spring, before heading to Hillsdale College in Michigan. She will be bringing her spikes with her, along with her sweaters.
“I’m beyond excited for the next step of my life,” she said. “It’s a great school with a great track and field program. The mentorship, Christian culture, facilities and network are all amazing. I’ll get homesick but I’m already building a family there.”
Family is everything for Chappelle. Her brother plays football at Troy University in Alabama, and her parents have mentored her throughout her life.
“My parents are amazing,” she said. “My Mom is from rural Alabama. She was worried about her kids having
a work ethic when we moved to The Woodlands. They have made sure that we had to work for what we wanted. It taught me an early life-lesson that if you want to be successful, you have to work for it. They instilled that in us and to seek the Lord. That has grown me into the woman I am today.”
The TWCA-lifer, Chappelle flipped her philosophy when she stepped foot on the track in high school.
“Coming into high school, track was just for me to glorify myself... I just wanted to be fast and track was my idol,” she said. “The Holy Spirit worked in me and since then I’ve been more focused on God. Now I see track as a gift he has given me to glory him. My view shifted coming into ninth grade.”
When she’s not training, she has a pair of unique hobbies.
“I love sports photography,” she said. “I never thought I was creative but taking photos is my artistic outlet. When I’m sitting and editing my photos, I just decompress. It also keeps me involved in sports.”
The other?
“I do bio-technology competitions,” she laughed. “There is a thing called gel electrophoresis (the separation of DNA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). I basically extract DNA, run it through PCR and find out about different diseases and bacteria. I can nerd out sometimes.”
While she is focused on the Lord and track, she also has a passion to become an OBGYN (obstetrician/ gynecologist).
“That’s the plan,” she said. God-willing.