WEST POINT, Ala. — In this interview, I talked to one of West Point’s multi-sports stars, Andrew Lynn. Andrew had so many great memories during his time at West Point.
“The group of guys I got to call teammates this year, along with the staff we had working hard for us every day, both with basketball and golf, made the practices always fun and competitive. I was lucky to have coach Voce three separate years (eighth grade, JV, and varsity), so my class and him were a tight group,” Lynn said. “My dad was the golf coach for my years as a West Point golfer, which just made everything that much more special to share with him. For basketball, I’ll never forget the locker rooms before and after games, the trips we took to Lipscomb and to the BJCC’s Legacy Arena, and the wins that no one was expecting. For golf, the most fun parts were the practices because we always were able to cut up and mess with each other while making each other better. Our rides to tournaments were always a great time, and I can’t forget about our wins as a team, both in and out of the county.”
Andrew added,
“My favorite high school memories were sharing laughs with my friends day after day, year after year. I participated in a few electives which were so much fun because of the people in them, such as math team and theatre. I’ll always remember the tense and excited environment leading up to the shows of the year.”
Andrew played for a trio of amazing coaches during his playing days and learned so much from them in the process.
“As soon as I started high school, I had coach Jimmy Harbison as my freshmen team basketball coach. He taught me so much about how to enjoy the game, be confident, and not take it too serious,” Lynn said. “He was also a big part of my high school experience in many other ways including theatre. The very next year, I had coach Voce moving up to JV with our class, then my senior year, he got moved up to varsity head coach. He has taught me so much about how to put your head down and work. He also helped me gain so grit, which I hadn’t had previously. My golf coach for all of my years as a golfer was my dad. He had always made sure I had everything I had to succeed and that continued into my golf team. He was there encouraging, not only me, but my teammates as well to get out there and put the work in. He kept it light, but when he needed to, he made it very clear that we needed to work. I’m so thankful for the staff that West Point High School had brought to me and my teammates for all four years of being a Warrior.”
Andrew learned a lot about being at West Point and will miss so much about being a Warrior.
“West Point is such a tight-knit community. When someone was sick or had any issue, everyone pitched in in some way or another,” Lynn said. “West Point is also a faithful community. Knowing that an entire community would be there to pray or help in anyway if needed is a great feeling. Those things taught me how important a community or those closest to you can be. The sports and academic side of things also taught me how to work and put my mind and effort into anything and everything important to me.”
He added,
“I’ll miss the teachers; they made everything fun. I’ll also miss the laughs my friends brought to me every day, and the sports teams and the excitement that it brings.”
Andrew had to deal with a difficult time in his life as he was a diabetic at the young age of 16, but he had so much support during his battle, and he learned a great lesson as well.
“It was definitely a curveball thrown into my life. My athletic career had just started to flourish and come out of its shell, then I lost 30 pounds in a week or so, and was hit with that,” Lynn said. “It took a lot of grit and effort to recover and took about two months to gain my weight back. While in the hospital, me and my parents received constant texts and Facebook messages telling us they were praying and that they would help in any way they could. Once I recovered and got back in sports, I always had the aid of coaches to make sure I was all good and ready to play. I will say though, I am very blessed to and there are so many people in way worse positions than myself and I feel so thankful to be where I am. I would be lying if I said West Point was my only support. My church family was a great help to me and my family for all four years of high school and that curveball that was thrown into my life.”
Lynn continued,
“It changed my life, but I wouldn’t say it affected it. Sure, I may have a few extra steps or speed bumps daily, but it didn’t stop or affect my social or sporting life as much as one might think. I was just as active as the next guy, happy and thankful for the opportunities to do whatever it was I was doing. I think it actually helped me grow up a little bit and become responsible for my own actions because I have to pay attention to it constantly and be careful what I do. This experience taught me that no mountain is too tall to climb.”
Andrew gave some advice to the students that will be starting high school next month.
“I would tell each student to slow down, take it all in, and be thankful for your opportunities. So many people wish to be in the positions they and myself are in. I would also tell them to pay attention to the social aspect because those are the things you remember. The friendships and relationships you gain while in high school are so important and I know I’ll remember forever.”
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