Plainfield North’s Allie Lindroth has learned some valuable life lessons from two rather unlikely sources.
Her older brother Adam, a baseball player at Central Michigan, taught her perseverance. Her “big sister,” former Plainfield North player Emily Simonelli, taught her hard work.
Somewhere, both are smiling.
Lindroth, a 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter, has put together a stellar season for the Tigers. She leads the team with 280 kills and has added 157 digs and 25 aces. She had six kills as Plainfield North clinched a share of the Southwest Prairie Conference title with a 25-15, 25-18 victory over Plainfield East last week.
But Lindroth has battled adversity much of her career. She has been plagued by shoulder, knee and ankle injuries. However, she drew inspiration from her brother, who taught her how to focus on taking better care of herself.
“He inspired me because he has been through those injuries, too,” she said. “My main focus was always to get back as soon as possible. He really helped me overcome during those times of recovery and keep my focus on the goal.
“I’ve had shoulder injuries, knee injuries, and an ankle injury which was a killer in the past year. He taught me how important is to take care of yourself because it can cost you your career. I’m much smarter about taking care of myself now and more aware of the consequences if I don’t.”
Lindroth also learned a valuable life lesson from Simonelli, who was Lindroth’s “big sister” during their time together at Plainfield North. As part of the volleyball team’s “Big Sister/Little Sister” program, a member of the varsity team “adopts” members of the freshman and sophomore teams.
“Emily impacted me in way that’s still influencing me,” Lindroth said. “She taught me work ethic. I wanted to be that hardworking player and achieve nothing less than that. She was that 110-percent-at-all-times, no-excuses type of player.
“I carry on some traits that she has taught me, and that’s what the program does. It really leaves a mark on you. Here I am, two years later, trying to show younger players the way just like she showed me. I have two more years to do that for my little sisters.”
Lindroth serves as an example to the younger players both on and off the court. Off the court, she builds lasting and meaningful relationships with the younger players by sharing a movie, going out to dinner, and serving as an advisor and friend when things aren’t going well in school.
On the court, she serves as an example by her hard work and coachability.
“Allie embodies what a coach looks for in a student-athlete in that she is coachable, works extremely hard and leads by example on and off the court both athletically and academically,” Plainfield North coach Tracy Marshall said.
“On the court, Allie is a tremendous leader for us in her ability to play at a high level consistently. She is a vocal leader as well and is always motivating her team to do their best.”
