Woodward's Savannah Whitten & Haylee Waddle – High Plains Technology Center Athlete Spotlight

By Derrick Smith

Savannah Whitten and Haylee Waddle attend Woodward High School, where they are both members of the school’s powerlifting and cheer teams. Another thing they have in common is they both attend High Plains Tech Center.

Savannah began powerlifting in the summer of 2016.

“I participated in Boomer Iron, a summer weightlifting program at the school,” she said. “It was a requirement for the cheer team. Football coach Marcus Mead suggested I start competing in powerlifting.”

Haylee says she started around the same time.

“I started powerlifting my freshman year, which was actually the first year that they made a meet just for girls,” Waddle said. “I was encouraged by my other coaches and knew that it was something that I could benefit from.”

Along with being a member of the cheer team with Savannah, Haylee is also a member of the Lady Boomers soccer team. The reason Haylee says she enjoys competing in powerlifting is because it is a different kind of challenge.

“I enjoy the personal challenges that powerlifting gives that I don’t experience in other sports. My most memorable moment was beating my own personal record, something I did not think I could mentally and physically do.”

Savannah likes it more because of the competition.

“The thing I enjoy most about competing is the opportunity to compete against people I’ve never met before,” she stated. “My most memorable moment in powerlifting so far was when I placed second in the girls state powerlifting competition.”

Outside of athletics, Savannah is also a member of the National Honor Society, Pep Club, and she works at the Polly Anna Cafe. Haylee is also involved with the National Honor Society and is a class officer. At High Plains Tech, both girls are taking the Health Careers course. Both say they heard about High Plains Tech when they were younger.

“I first heard about Tech in elementary school, when my class took a tour of the building,” Savannah said. “The interactional tour of the health classrooms really made me interested in Tech.

Haylee had a similar experience.

“I first heard about Tech in middle school when we were shown opportunities to think about for our future,” she said.

Savannah, who wants to become a doctor, says that she decided to take Health Career because it would help her move towards the career she wanted.

“I decided to take Health careers because I thought it would give me a foundation for higher level college classes.”

Haylee says she has always been interested in assisting others, so this seemed like an easy fit.

“I wanted to take the Health Careers program because I have always been interested in science and helping people,” she said. “The program seemed very well-rounded and I knew that I should try it.”

Both girls agree that High Plains Tech is doing a great job in preparing them for their future.

“Tech has prepared me for my future career by giving a realistic outlook on what my career will be like, and gives me the educational foundation I need to be prepared for college,” said Haylee.

With the assistance of High Plains Tech, both girls have a plan for their future. After high school, Savannah plans to attend the University of Oklahoma for college and medical school. Haylee plans to attend college to become a physical therapist and specialize in sports medicine.