Bella of the Ball
Frisby a conqueror on the court and in the classroom
(Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles spotlighting the finalists for Sports Alley/ El Dorado News-Times Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The finalists will be recognized and the winner announced at the Sports Alley/News-Times Scholar Athlete Awards Banquet on May 30 at College Avenue Church of Christ.)
Bella Frisby said she never watched Game of Thrones. But she's a major fan of Genghis Khan.
Who knew?
Watching the Parkers Chapel senior compete in her four sports should've provided a hint that she's a natural born conqueror.
Frisby played golf, tennis, basketball and softball while maintaining a 4.2 grade point average. Parkers Chapel's valedictorian is a finalist for Sports Alley/ News-Times Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The Lady Trojans won their third consecutive 2A tennis state championship with Frisby winning the state title in doubles for the fourth straight year. She finished as runner-up medalist in the 2A state golf tournament, started at point guard for PC's state tournament basketball team and played shortstop on the softball team.
“Bella's work ethic is unlike any other,” said PC basketball and softball coach Justin Welch. “She's able to have so much success because of the hard work that she puts into each sport. Very few people have her kind of determination. Of course, it's coupled with the athletic ability to perform at a high level in those sports. You put those traits together and put it into a high energy individual like Bella and you have, basically, a very rare gem. She is a very unique person to be able to do all of the things that she's able to do at such a high skill level.”
Frisby earned All-State in both tennis and golf and signed to play on the golf team at Southern Arkansas
University. She competed in both sports at the same time, winning a state title in tennis and then getting in a car and driving to compete in the state golf tournament.
“In golf, I got runner-up at state but I could've done better. It was very disappointing,” said Frisby, who was state medalist as a junior. “I was hoping I could go and shoot low. I was like if I can shoot mid-to-low seventies, I'll win it. And I went and had my worst round of the year and shot an 80 and got second. It was pretty upsetting.”
She didn't blame the hectic schedule of playing two sports simultaneously.
“Golf is always different. I feel like I just had a bad day.”
Frisby, who was also All-State in basketball, earned both academic and athletic scholarships at SAU. She plans to study nursing and then go to medical school to eventually become an anesthetist.
“When I was in the fifth grade I broke my arm. I went to Children's and I really liked how they treated me. So I want to be a nurse at a pediatric hospital,” she said.
Frisby explained the difference between an anesthetist and an anesthesiologist.
“(Anesthetists) are more of the nursing part but an anesthesiologist will go into surgery and keep up with all the blood pressure and stuff like that and put ‘em to sleep.”
Why would she prefer being an anesthetist?
“You get to interact with the kids more,” she answered.
For Frisby, golf and tennis were the only sports that overlapped. But, she went from one sport to another from the start of the year until the very end.
“It would be a lot easier if I didn't play sports to keep up with my grades. But I have very good teachers who help me. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be able to do it,” said Frisby, who gets encouragement from home as well.
“My parents have always been hard on me about my grades and I'm glad they've done it. I wouldn't be where I am if they weren't nagging me to keep my good grades.”
While competing, Frisby could be considered somewhat feisty. She let it be known when she disagreed with a call on the basketball court. Sometimes she protested too vehemently.
Then again, what would one expect from a girl who lights up when discussing the Mongol Empire?
“I think they're really cool. They had the biggest empire in the whole history. It's kind of cool how they took over and they were mean. They fought.”
Frisby learned about the Mongol Empire in her favorite class, AP World. It's where she developed her fascination with Genghis Khan.
“He was the leader. He was so cool,” she explained. “He was very low and then he brought everybody together because they were all different clans so they could team up and take over.
“Miss Turner is a very good teacher. The way she teaches had me very interested.”
Frisby said academics come easier than athletics for her. They're both time consuming. Excelling the way she did took a lot of determination and work.
“It means a lot to me,” she said of being a finalist for the award. “I'm very honored. I've put in a lot of work in school and on the field, the court and the golf course. I've done a lot to be in this position.”