Logan Parker
Logan Parker, a recent graduate of Daleville Junior/Senior High School, is June’s Male Student Athlete of the Month, sponsored by IU Health.
Sports have been an important part of his life ever since he can remember. From the time he could hold a baseball, he played catch with his father and participated in organized basketball from first grade on. Even before he joined his school’s track team in fifth grade, Parker was an avid runner.
“I absolutely love basketball. Basketball in Indiana is more than just regular basketball. I come from a basketball family; both my grandpa and my dad played. They have always encouraged me to stick with it, and I ended up developing a love for it,” Parker says.
Parker shares that he enjoys shooting the ball. Since Daleville is a small school, he had to be flexible and switch positions if needed. Playing as power forward and small forward enabled him to make his favorite type of shots.
“I have a pure passion for basketball. In seventh grade I broke my wrist and learned to shoot left-handed just so I could keep playing. I love the bad days, the good days and all the in between,” Parker says.
“Track is harder to love on a bad day,” admits Parker. “I’ve tried most all the events but senior year I did the 4 x 800, 400 and 4 x 400. The 400 is my pride and joy. I’ve been doing the 400 since fifth grade. It’s an all-out sprint and a very mental strenuous push. I don’t like losing! As a junior, I was undefeated in the 400 until I hurt my back before county. I was also undefeated during the regular season of my senior year.”
Unlike the 400, which is an individual dash once around a 400-meter track, the 4 x 400 and 4 x 800 are relay events. Teams of four runners run one lap each for the 4 x 400 and two laps each for the 4 x 800. Practice and experience are needed to develop successful baton hand offs.
“I like the team aspect of the 4 x 8. It’s the first event at meets and a good warm up. It’s great to chase someone who is out in front. It’s easy to know to do the baton hand off and know when to take off if you know the other runners. I’ve been running with my senior teammates since I switched to Daleville in seventh grade and I’ve been on the same team with the juniors since eighth grade,” Parker says.
“My dad has been my biggest mentor. He is a great motivator. Basketball coach Jordan King stepped in this year and believed in us as players. He put a lot of faith back into the team,” Parker adds.
Although he was accepted at Ball State University and planned to study finance and business, Parker listened to his heart and changed gears. His love of hiking, hunting and fishing led him to Vincennes University to pursue an associative degree program in conservation law. His end goal is to become an Indiana Conservation Officer.
Known for his good humor, Parker is also considered to be well rounded. He reads a lot and is always striving to learn something new. He buys small engines such as mowers and go-carts just to figure out how they work. Odd jobs for neighbors plus mowing and mulching are done amidst his many activities.
Leadership positions have included student council, athletic council and the superintendent advisory council. As a part of the school’s media group, he was filmed doing news updates which are loaded on YouTube. He is also a member of National Honor Society.
Parker’s contributions to his school community have been noticed. He has received recognition as a Mid-Eastern Conference Star Student and was tapped as a member of the Pridemark Construction Future Leader of America Series. However, he began his high school experience without any aspirations. His plan was to be quiet and reserved until graduation.
“Then my sophomore year I decided to go for academic honors and get into as much as I could. I got carried away and I kept on moving on the next thing; I never slowed down! Now when I look back at everything, I am glad I met so many people and got to do some good things. My advice is don’t be afraid to fail. Put yourself out there and actively want more,” Parker says.
