From the Sidelines: Longview St. Mary’s Ben Kubicek

Published 10:30 pm Wednesday, July 1, 2020

With spring sports currently suspended, the Tyler Morning Telegraph wants to profile East Texas seniors in those sports in a feature called “From the Sidelines”. If you’re an East Texas senior who competes in a spring sport and would like to be featured, fill out the following questionnaire and send it to sports@tylerpaper.com, along with a photo. Today’s featured male athlete is Longview St. Mary’s Ben Kubicek.

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Name: Ben Kubicek

School: St. Mary’s Catholic School, Longview

Parents names: Jason and Laurie Kubicek

Brothers/sisters: Two older sisters, Gaby and Sophie

Sports you play: Soccer, basketball, tennis, track, golf, ran cross country in the past

Favorite high school sports memory: Making the state semifinals for soccer my sophomore year.

Plans after high school: To go to school at Louisiana Tech and major in biomedical engineering and become an Air Force officer

Favorite song: Middle Child by J. Cole

Favorite food: Chicken Parmesan

Favorite TV show: Chernobyl Miniseries or The Man in the High Castle

Favorite movie: Interstellar

Who are your role models: My Grandparents, and my Uncle Gerry

Which coaches have had the most influence on you and why: I know this is a cliché, but all of my coaches had some sort of impact on me. Coach Armando taught me discipline. Coach Viloria taught me how to have fun while playing. Coach Knotts taught me character and integrity. Coach Collard, and Coach Merritt taught me to enjoy myself, to focus but relax. Coach Wells and Coach Blaze taught me how to become a student of the game, no matter what sport I play. Coach Juan taught me how to teach others, how to relate to them. Coach Peters taught me humility, because I had no idea how to do anything with tennis before she showed me

Who is your favorite teacher: I would say my favorite teacher is my math teacher, Mrs. Najarro. She is very compassionate and understanding.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years: Finishing medical school and going into a residency program in the Air Force

Something about yourself that most people don’t know: I can touch my tongue to my nose

What will you miss most about high school sports: Being able to compete for something that actually has meaning. Playing something for fun is nice, but it becomes hard when you try to take things more seriously without angering the other people around you.