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20Katelyn Bristley Cape FearWhen it comes to athletics at Cape Fear High School, senior Katelyn Bristley has had a pretty packed schedule over the last four years.
 
She’s played softball, basketball and tennis for the Colts, along with being a cheerleader and working as a student-athletic trainer during football season.
 
But she’s also found time to represent Cape Fear, and high school athletes at large, on a statewide stage. This fall, Bristley is beginning her final year of service on the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Student Athlete Advisory Council. It’s composed of 16 athletes from across the state, two each from the eight regions of the NCHSAA. Bristley is a representative from Region 4.
 
Bristley and her fellow council members travel to Chapel Hill once every three months to meet and discuss issues of importance to all high school athletes at NCHSAA member schools.

“We get to put our own stories that we experience into the program,’’ Bristley said. “We get to have our own little part.’’
 
One of the first things she did when she became a member of SAAC was attend a national conference at the Indianapolis headquarters of the National Federation of State High School Associations.

“There are a lot more athletes out there and everyone has different experiences from it,’’ she said. She enjoyed meeting people who had goals similar to hers who were just as motivated to be good in both athletics and academics as she was.
 
But SAAC isn’t just about going to meetings and sharing personal experiences. The council is also designed to promote leadership and sportsmanlike conduct, along with promoting the mission of the NCHSAA and its Student Services division.

For Bristley, that meant coming back to Cape Fear and organizing a project that would benefit others in the community.

Her project has been something she calls Unify Night.
 
During football season, she picks a junior varsity game, usually during September, and gets members of the Cape Fear varsity football team to come out at halftime and help hold a scrimmage for special needs youngsters from the Cumberland County Parks and Recreation Department’s Buddy Sports program.
 
Bristley volunteers with the Buddy program herself. She brings youngsters from the program to the game and also posts flyers in the Cape Fear community to get those not involved with the Buddy program to come to the Unify Night.

“I figured I’d bring it into our community and have our players experience that they are very lucky to play a sport they want to,’’ she said. “Some kids really want to play but have to play a modified version or need assistance. You’re there to help them learn how to play a sport, and it makes their day a whole lot better.’’

In this, her final year in SAAC, Bristley wants to find someone at Cape Fear who can help continue the tradition of Unify Night after she graduates, although she plans to come back from college and help out each year.
 
She also hopes to attend some leadership conferences in different parts of the state this year with her fellow SAAC members.
 
“I definitely want to get involved and meet different people,’’ she said. “Just sharing your experiences is a big deal.’’

Photo: Katelyn Bristley

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