Junior Kayla Supinski started playing soccer at the age of five when her parents signed her up for it, and she hasn’t stopped since. 

“[It was] kind of something my parents put me into,” she said. “I liked it, so I kept on doing it.”

When Supinski came to La Salle, she started playing on junior varsity as the team captain but was moved up to varsity halfway through the season. 

This year, Supinski filled every soccer position except for goalie, playing wherever her team needed her. 

Having a couple players out for part of the season brought new teammates to varsity. Although the change was challenging, Supinski said, the team ended up succeeding regardless. 

“We had to make it through the first round of playoffs without two starters, so it took a lot of people on the team stepping up,” she said. Even so, Supinski and her teammates pushed through the player loss to win. “That was exciting,” she said.

Supinski describes the team dynamic as “really good” because of how much time they spend together, making them very close friends and teammates. 

“My favorite thing is just when you play a really good game and everyone feels connected,” she said. 

While she struggles with motivation in regard to soccer, her strong bond with her team members is what keeps her going even when she is feeling unenthusiastic. 

Supinski said that this year, one of the main ways she kept herself motivated was reminding herself to “do it for the person next to you.” With there being many seniors on the team this year, everyone worked hard to give the seniors a great last season, she said. 

“Even if you don’t personally want to do it, you just do it for them,” Supinski said. 

In freshman year, wanting to try another sport that wouldn’t interfere with her soccer schedule, Supinski joined La Salle’s track team. Even though the sport is still new to her, she is happy to have another avenue for staying fit and having fun. 

Track, being a more individual-focused sport, creates a lot of new goals as well as challenges for Supinski. One of her goals for this season is to make it farther than she did last year — seventh place in the 800-meter race at districts. 

The 800-meter and the 1500-meter are both events that she competes in, with the 800-meter being her favorite because it is a nice distance, she said. “You can build a race plan based on who you’re running against,” she said. 

One of the biggest challenges with track is not getting in your own head due to it being an individual sport, she said. Supinski said that the distance girls team on track is “amazing,” and they have all become friends. 

“My favorite thing about track is just knowing you’re fighting to beat yourself,” she said. “It feels really good to PR and know that that is the best you’ve ever done.”

Supinski describes herself as a competitive person, always wanting to be the best she can at everything. One of her biggest inspirations is her mom. 

“My mom inspires me [with] the way she stays on top of everything and makes sure everything gets done and is pretty organized,” Supinski said. 

Outside of sports and school, Supinski has a passion for camping. She is part of “Scouting America” and has been since she was 12 years old. 

“I like going camping and just learning a lot about random things that I would never know about,” she said. 

Supinski also enjoys bringing people out of their comfort zone on camping trips. 

“A lot of people’s families just don’t teach them and take them on adventures and stuff,” Supinski said. “It’s fun to be able to see people and teach people how to have fun and be safe and camp outside.”

Supinski said she likes to go camping anywhere, but camping with her family is especially fun. 

Participating in high school soccer, club soccer, track, and Scouting America can make quite a busy schedule for Supinski. Even so, being able to balance all that as well as friends and school is something that she takes much pride in. 

Supinski is a team player, as she steps in when needed, and her competitive spirit brings the team together in times of doubt, she said.

With Supinski’s family being very supportive and understanding of her busy schedule, she said she’s able to excel in every sport she participates in.