March Issue v

Photography by Izzy Antanavicius ‘22
Design by Eliza Bryant ‘24
sports
9
Athlete of the month:
Blake Landow ‘22
By GRACE HALAK ‘22
Blake Landow ‘22 is a student-athlete
in every sense of
the word. She participates in
three sports: softball (since
fourth grade), volleyball (since sixth
grade), and track (since tenth grade). She
is most dedicated to softball and plays on a
club team that travels often.
Sports play an essential role in Landow’s
personal life.
“They bring my family together [because]
we all play sports. We’re all very
different people, so it’s nice to have an activity
in common to bring us together and
unify us,” Landow said.
She also enjoys the
community her club
softball team provides
outside of
Baldwin.
“My club team allows me to connect
with different people outside of the small
community of Baldwin. I enjoy meeting
new people and having new experiences,”
Landow said.
Landow is not only a talented athlete
but also a gifted and dedicated student. She
credits sports with teaching her the skills
that have led to academic success.
“Sports teach you both discipline and
time management because you learn to balance
school and sports at a young age. You
learn to work hard and put 100% of your
effort into 100% of the things that you do,”
Landow said.
Her hard work has paid off: she
has committed to the University of
Pennsylvania and plans to continue
playing softball through college.
The process was not easy,
especially considering the restrictions of a
global pandemic.
“COVID took away a lot of opportunities
to play and be seen by college coaches,”
Landow said.
“It made recruiting much more difficult,
but it also presented new opportunities
for me like virtual batting lessons. I
worked with a woman who played for a
professional team but lives in California,
so it wasn’t ever convenient for her to fly
out and work with me physically. Through
the virtual lessons, she really improved my
hitting technique.”
Even in the face of adversity, Landow
sees the silver linings and strives to
achieve her goals. This tireless work ethic
and determination are reflected in her accomplishments
and in her advice to other
student-athletes.
“You know the quote ‘practice makes
perfect,’” Landow said.
“A softball coach I had once rephrased
that and said ‘practice makes permanent.’
That stuck with me because practice does
make permanent. Practice the right way,
100% focused on what you’re doing at the
time that you’re doing it. That’s something
I try to live by.”