Oklahoma Bible Academy’s Sydney Winter – Female Athlete Spotlight Presented by Security National Bank

Oklahoma Bible Academy student-athlete Sydney Winter is one busy junior. The Vice President of the Student Council and varsity basketball player also plays volleyball and golf for OBA. She first started playing basketball in the first grade.

“I like the post because my favorite part of the game is defense and I love getting in there and blocking out and working around people,” said Winter.

This season the basketball team is young with one two returning starters, but Winter sees that as an advantage coming into the season.

“I really love having a young team because I’ve been able to bond really well with those younger girls and joke around with them. I remember being a freshman and looking up to the older girls so I hope as one of the few upperclassmen I can be a good role model. My teammates are all really hardworking and we all have a good perspective on the game and our purpose in it,” said Winter. “I think we’re going to learn a lot this season through good and hard lessons on and off the court. We will always give our best effort and energy and strive to improve ourselves everyday.”

In the classroom, Winter stays on top of her grades. Her future will include college, she’s just not sure exactly what she will study.

“Academics are incredibly important to me because I love learning. I’m still exploring my interests for my next stage in life but I’m interested in studying industrial engineering or law in college,” said Winter.

One of her passions in life is her youth group at church.

“The biggest influence in my life is Christ and the believers around me who show me that hard work is the best I can give no matter how the game goes. I’m always learning from them and I’m able to be at peace with things even when they don’t go how I want them because I know what I can give and I know why I’m doing it,” said Winter. “People like Jenean Reese and Gina Mendenhall, my youth home group leaders, and Kaitlyn Davis, who graduated last year and played with me, always have that mindset of effort over outcome and the understanding that the game is so much bigger than myself; it’s a reflection of myself and who I have my faith in.”

One moment on the court she won’t soon forget came at the hands of an opponent.

“Most of my memorable moments come from inside jokes with my teammates and the time I got caught between a left handed point guard and her baseball-speed pass to someone else. Black eyes are not as cool as they look,” said Winter.