From the classroom to the court, junior Jocelyn Jenks is described by her coaches as one of the hardest-working students they’ve ever met. 

In the three years Jenks has attended South, she’s played volleyball and cross country in the fall, basketball in the winter, and track in the spring. You may ask yourself how she plays four sports, or even has enough time for them.

“I always make sure to do my homework right after practice, and I use AC Lab to complete my assignments,” she said. 

Jenks claims that since she’s played these sports throughout her high school career, she has a system to ensure she doesn’t fall behind while her sports are in season. 

“To me, playing a sport is a good thing for me. I always have something to do, and I get to meet new people and interact with people I wouldn’t know,” she said. 

To Jenks, playing sports is nothing but a benefit to her.

“Playing sports helps you make more friends and a bigger community for yourself, and gets you involved with people you wouldn’t see otherwise,” she said. 

In the fall, Jenks plays junior varsity volleyball, and attends varsity cross-country meets.

“I just go to the meets, so really I’m just playing volleyball during the week, then on the weekends is when I do cross country,” she said.

In basketball, Jenks is a point guard, but in the past has played many different positions. This season, she was one of two junior varsity team captains. 

“Jocelyn always shows good sportsmanship. She was one of our team captains on JV this year. She’s always just professional on the court, she would never trash-talk or kind of get out of control in any way. She just remains a calm force on the court,” says junior varsity basketball coach Michelle Dempsy.

While some people might think that playing multiple sports in one season is a bad idea, her coaches think the opposite. 

“I don’t think it negatively impacts her. I think it just shows how driven she is because very few girls in the history of South have been able to compete in four different sports,” says track and cross country coach Bob Klebolt. 

This season for track, Jenks runs the varsity 4x800m relay, the 400m dash, and other events depending on the meet. 

It all started with junior varsity volleyball coach Mitch Stevens during her freshman season. 

“One day, Jocelyn asked me if I was okay with her attending a cross-country meet during the volleyball season. Right then and there, it just showed me her dedication to making herself a better person and a better athlete.”

And on top of her athletics, Jenks is a dedicated student at South. Currently, she is challenging herself by taking Honors Pre-Calculus and AP Physics, and she plays the viola in orchestra. 

While doing all of these activities, there can often be conflicts between her obligations. She says that balancing these things can be difficult, but it is definitely worth the hassle. 

“Sometimes with orchestra I’ll have a concert during the same time as a game or a track meet,” she said.  

Burnout among athletes is not uncommon, but Jenks sees it differently.

“I haven’t really had burnout; the people around you want you to keep playing,” she said. 

But, there’s more to Jenks than just her athleticism and academics. 

“She’s dedicated, motivated, humble, a great team player, and always trying to improve,” said Stevens.

All of her coaches consider Jenks hardworking, but JV girls’ basketball coach Michelle Dempsey had more to say about the characteristics people need to be a four-sport athlete. 

“100% commitment, resilience, and time management,” Dempsey said. “There are very few people out there who work harder than Jocelyn.”