FAIRVIEW, Ala. – Fairview freshman Kailyn Redding represents the Aggies in both track & field and volleyball and she’s coming off great seasons in both. Redding talked about what she learned during both seasons and shared some of her favorite experiences.
“I felt like I did really good. I got to state as an eighth grader in high jump. My even is definitely high jump. Our team, overall, did good. We always worked hard in our events, and we were like family. I learned how to jump really good. I learned the most from Abby Smith. She helped coach Haynes with all the events. Abby was the jumper coach. She, along with my mom, was really good at high jump. All three of us are all tied for the highest high jump at 5’2”. Overall, my team was great, and I learned a lot that season. I can’t wait for the season to start. I learned to keep pushing, even when you get tired. It will make you better. Never give up.”
Kailyn learned a lot from some great people and some amazing coaches.
“Being around this group of people was amazing. I loved the environment, and there were some great people I got to hang around with every day. Track introduced me to more friends. I made so many more friends, and they were some great teammates. I learned how to pace myself. They helped me, while running, how to pace myself in the running events I was in,” Redding said. “My coaches were amazing. They were some of the best coaches I’ve ever had. They push you to be the best of your ability every single day with no shortcuts. I can’t wait for next season. I learned how to be a great teammate. They always taught me how to be a great teammate towards others. They also taught us to have a great and positive attitude.”
Kailyn saw a ton of improvement in her performance throughout the season. She talked about some important goals for herself and for the team this upcoming season.
“I saw a ton of improvement in my performance. From the beginning, I was jumping 4’6″, and now, I’m jumping 5’2″, trying to beat the record me, my sister, and my coach currently hold. I improved the most on my high jumping,” she said. “My goal is to beat the school record. Our team goals are to push hard every single day and meet our standards that we have set for ourselves.”
She talked about what made this group of people special to be around, how important it is to be a role model for the younger girls that are watching her compete in track and field, and what she learned the most about herself and this team this past season.
“They all wanted to work hard. We always got there and was ready to work. I really loved this group,” she said. “It’s very important. Giving your best shows the younger girls to try their hardest. I love being a role model for the younger girls. I want to show them how to put the work in. What I learned the most about myself this past season is that I am a really positive athlete. If you get out there and work, it will pay off in the end. From this group of people, I learned that, even though we’re all at different paces, we should still work our best, and that’s enough. If you give it your all, then that’s all you have to do.”
Last season was Kailyn’s first year on the JV volleyball team and she had a lot of fun during this experience and took away so much from last year.
“I think the season went very well. We had some really good hitters and passers. I think we played great overall as a team. We lost some games, but learned from those mistakes and fixed them at practice; we came out next game and did our best. I learned a lot, mostly from coach Stanley and from my sister, Kabri. I improved a lot on my hitting from what I learned from them. Overall, I think the season went very well,” she said. “One of the main things I learned from last season was how to improve on my hitting. At the beginning of the season, I was struggling with getting the ball down, but coach Stanley watched multiple videos, and at practice, I would come in and fix it. Of course, it didn’t take one day, but after weeks of working on it, I finally improved and fixed my hitting. I also learned a lot about my passing. I would always swing and not move my feet, but with the higher passing percentage, a lot of people on my team helped me out with that, and I definitely improved a lot on my passing.”
She loved playing with this group of teammates and learned so much from not only them, but from coach Stanley as well.
“It was definitely one of my favorite things. Even though we cut up and had some fun at practice, we also had points where we got the job done. I was so close with every one of these girls on the team. They are so kind, and every girl on this team was determined to push and put in the work to reach our goal. I definitely loved these girls. I learned how to not only be a better person, but a better teammate. Even though we cut up in practice, we still got in there and put the work in. I really enjoyed being around them. They were the girls that pushed me to work harder every day and who were there every play and every game. They were definitely a great group of girls to be around.”
She added,
“Coach Stanley was one of my favorite coaches. It was her second-year coaching, but my first year playing for her. She was a very sweet coach but pushed us to put the work in to achieve our goal. She definitely knew how to coach, and she was very good at it. I loved her style of coaching. She would get to practice early, and she would leave late, so anyone that needed extra work; she could work with them. She would, individually, tell you what you did wrong and how to fix it. That’s what I loved the most. Overall, she was an amazing coach, and I loved playing for her. The one thing that stuck that I learned from her is how to push myself. She would strive me to push myself every day. She motivated me to put the work in. She watched videos of me hitting all the time and came to practice and helped me fix it. She would go above and beyond to do everything she could to help me get better. She definitely taught me a lot about my hitting. She helped me improve a lot.”
Kailyn saw her game improve greatly from the start of the season until now and talked about her goals and the team goals for next season.
“I improved a lot, mainly in my hitting, but also in my passing. All the drills in our practices really helped a lot with those. I improved the most on my hitting. Towards the end of the season, I was getting a lot stronger and definitely hitting it a lot harder,” she said. “My goals are to get up every day and put in the work, be one of the best hitters on the team, and be a leader. I work every day, and I want to lead the team one day. Our team goal is to win the county championship. Last season, we came up just short of winning the county championship. It is definitely our goal to win it this year.”
She was happy to be a part of a special team last season, and the Lady Aggies will definitely look to have another special season in 2024. She talked about her role model in volleyball and some great advice that her dad, Aggies head football coach George Redding, gave her.
“This team had something really special. I think the culture part was big. We were always ready to work. We had every girl on the team doing their part and working their hardest to make this team great. The way we play together will be what will make us special to watch next season. We play as a family and as a team. We were all really close, and I think we played really well together,” she said. “My role model is definitely my sister, Kabri. She pushed me to work every day. At the end of the JV season, I got to finish the season on varsity, and it was my first and last chance to ever play volleyball with her. It was such a great time. I loved getting a chance to play with her. I learned how to not get down on myself when I mess up. When the game is faster and it’s a big step up from JV, you will make mistakes, but Kabri really taught me to not get down and make it up on the next play.”
She added,
“My dad always say to give it our best and give it your all every day. He’s my number one supporter and the one that I can go to for anything about sports. He’s the person that pushes me harder than anyone.”
Kailyn talked about how important it is to be a role model for the younger girls that are watching her play and what she learned the most about herself and this team.
“I think it is very important. They watch every move, even though, sometimes, you don’t think they are. You’re always being watched by someone, so working hard every day will definitely encourage the younger girls to do the same,” she said. “I learned that if I work hard, it will all pay off in the end. As a team, we all worked hard, and it paid off in the end.”
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