Norman North High School senior volleyball player Parker Gladhill always had the talent. That was evident in the personal accolades, like receiving second-team all-conference as a junior.
But until her final season with the T-Wolves, she hadn’t been tested as a leader.
“The season was very different from previous seasons,” Gladhill said. “With a lot of our captains and leaders graduating, I felt like I was able to step into a stronger leadership role. That proved to be very rewarding as the season went on, not just as a captain but as an upperclassmen with ready-to-learn freshmen.”
It was something new, but not something unwelcome.
“Stepping into that leadership role definitely brought more onto my palate, but with all of the great examples I had observed before me, I felt like I was more prepared to take on that role,” Gladhill said.
“Having spent 3 years on varsity, I was never the oldest or strongest voice until this year presented the opportunity. I was so eager to lead that the challenges I was faced with were welcomed.”
She conquered her inexperience as a leader and brought the T-Wolves together. She also conquered some of her own personal shortcomings along the way.
“Up until the past club season, I was very hard on myself and certainly not optimistic on the court. When I came into my senior season and realized how many younger players were looking up to me, I knew I needed to make a positive change in my internal dialogue in order to lead by example in a positive way,” Gladhill said. “I had to focus on staying patient when I made errors or I knew I could do better. It took a coach pulling me aside and explaining that constantly beating myself up was putting me behind in developing my skills and hindering me from being a strong leader. It certainly did not happen overnight, but, over time, I have found much more success after being more positive to myself and teammates.” And he won plenty of hardware along the way. Gladhill went home with all-tournament honors in each tournament Norman North played, a personal goal she set for herself before the year.
She also made first-team all-COAC.
“I was able to find success in both areas and even better success within team relationships, Gladhill said.
Gladhill plans to play at the next level and is “still in the process of deciding where home is.”
Most importantly, she knows who she is.
“Off the court, I am an easy-going, creative person. I love to spend my time with family and friends and love to meet new people. I do my best to translate teammates into friends that I hang out with even after the season is over,” Gladhill said.
She hopes her teammates remember her as a “kind, enjoyable person and as someone who always wanted to push people to their best.”
“I hope they continue to bridge the gaps among the teams and have great relationships with everyone in the program,” Gladhill said.
Gladhill plans to major in film production in college and someday become a director.
“In 5 years, I see myself finding a great place to live and settling down with lots of dogs and other critters,” Gladhill said.
