Coeur d’Alene High School Athlete of the Month: Kristal Louden

For freshman, Kristal Louden, life right now is all about basketball. The 15-year-old varsity player and honor student has been playing the game since she was 7, and has played on the AAU North Idaho Elite basketball team since the fourth grade.

“Every aspect of it is great. Being a part of a team is like having a second family, and the competition is just awesome, but when you throw that perfect pass or shoot the perfect shot that whips the net, it just gives me this happiness that I can’t explain,” says Kristal.

In spite of the love for the sport, Kristal struggles with her confidence as a player. “I’m really hard on myself if I feel like I could’ve or should’ve done better,” she says.

Her future studies and career interests are just forming, but Kristal knows she would like to attend Gonzaga University and play basketball there.

“My career interests really range … I’ve thought something in architecture … I’ve also thought about something more scientific like marine biology or astronomy. My ultimate goal would be to pursue basketball at the highest level,” Kristal says.

Basketball is not just a sport for Kristal but a way of life. Who she is on the court is who she is off it. “Are you someone who’s going to help someone up when they fall or walk on top of them?” Kristal says. “Also … if you aren’t willing to put in the effort, then I doubt you’ll go very far in life at all. Basketball shows that well because if you don’t put in the effort then you won’t succeed.”

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