by MARK CAUL

Lehman sophomore Amara Smith hasn’t slowed down one bit despite playing both varsity basketball and soccer, often on the same night, this semester for the Lady Lobos. (Photo by Judy Cooper)

Lehman sophomore Amara Smith wasn’t even born when the 1970s Wonder Woman series starring Lynda Carter ruled the television airwaves.

The signature moment of the show came when she would spin around faster than the speed of light for a few seconds and re-emerge as the heroine wearing red, white, blue and gold,  ready to do battle against all evildoers who opposed her.

Lehman’s Smith may not possess Wonder Woman’s indestructible bracelets or invisible plane, but on game night Smith’s transformation is every bit as amazing.

The 5-foot, 6-inch sophomore is one of the main defensive cogs on Danny Preuss’ girls varsity basketball squad and plays an important role on the girls varsity soccer team coached by Nauri Garcia.
The problem is – both sports are usually going on at nearly the same time on the same night.
But usually when Smith is given the opportunity to compete for both teams she often does. On numerous occasions this season, Smith has played a complete basketball game, before quickly changing into her soccer gear to play in the second half of a match. Smith said she just loves to stay busy, loves to compete, and first and foremost, she loves the game – both of them.

“I’ve played both sports since I was four years old and I can’t think of anything else I would rather be doing,” Smith said. “It would be hard for me to choose one sport over the other so I hope I never have to make that decision.”

Admittedly, Smith knows that playing two sports on the varsity level has not been easy. But she has learned to manage both her academics and the practice and game schedules of two sports with overlapping seasons in the spring.

It’s a double-dip that has given the 16-year-old honor student conflicts of the heart and of the schedule.

“Basketball is the sport that starts first so that had to be my first commitment,” Smith said. “But it doesn’t mean I like soccer any less. There are times when it’s hard to play both sports but I enjoy competing so I always try to give both teams my best.”

Smith at times experiences emotional highs and lows on the same athletic night.

One week ago, Smith arrived in time to participate in an exciting 0-0 tie with arch-rival Hays in soccer only 30 minutes after being a part of a crucial loss to Manor in hoops, which effectively ended the basketball team’s shot at the playoffs this season.

“That’s one of the good things I like about playing two sports on the same night,” Smith said. “Even though I was still upset over the basketball game and I was able to enjoy the fact that we played well and almost beat Hays. I’m glad I got the chance to enjoy that feeling with my teammates.”
Though Smith’s dual roles may have been met initially with a little resistance from a few teammates, the fact she’s a multi-talented athlete ultimately helped her credibility.

In soccer, Smith is already one of the team’s top players. She was named to the second team all-district squad last year as a freshman and will be one of the team’s offensive weapons for the next couple of seasons.

“At first there were a few concerns about how much she would be able to help our team since she wouldn’t be around to practice with us on a full-time basis,” senior soccer co-captain Dominique Jaquez said. “But once they saw how much of an effort she made to get to every game after playing an entire basketball game, it wasn’t much of a problem anymore.”

Her basketball teammates have been equally impressed with Smith’s effort on the court.

“Everybody on our team was very supportive of Amara because everybody knows how hard she works when she’s on the court,” senior basketball captain BriAnna Garza said. “We just had to cross our fingers and hope she didn’t get hurt playing soccer because she’s such an important part of our team.”

Preuss said he’s fully supportive of Smith’s effort to play both sports.

“Obviously, I’m glad Amara made the decision to play basketball because she’s such a big part of what we do,” Preuss said. “I’m amazed at the amount of dedication she shows to be able to compete at such a high level in both sports.”

Garcia also supports Smith’s decision to compete in both sports, but readily admits he finds himself anticipating her arrival more often than not.

“There times when we are struggling on defense when I find myself kind of looking up and wondering if and when she’s going to get here,” said Garcia. “Amara is a great soccer player and she brings a lot to our team both offensively and defensively. We are obviously a better team with her on the field with us.”

Don’t expect Smith to slow down anytime soon as she plans on competing in both sports right up until graduation in 2012.

In fact, Smith has already added another sport to her resume – cross country.

“I want to be remembered as somebody who did as much as she could for her school,” Smith said. “It was pretty amazing to be able to go to the playoffs in two sports as a freshman last year and I definitely want to do be able to experience it a couple more times before I graduate.”