When it comes to bringing her A-game to the court, senior Kestin Cable, point guard for the Weber High Warriors, gives it her best and leaves nothing behind.
One of her best moments of the season happened in the game against the Fremont Silver Wolves on Jan. 17. The game was tied with five seconds left, when Cable shot a 3-pointer that led her team to a 49-46 victory.
Elise Hillstrom, fellow teammate and one of Cable’s best friends, says Cable is such a successful player because of “her dedication to the game and her team.”
“She is always doing something extra,” Hillstrom said. “She goes beyond what is expected of her. She also is always aware of others and what they need to do to become more successful. She never gives up and will always have your back.”
For Cable, the greatest parts about basketball are the competition and working on personal improvement.
“I love the intensity of it,” she says. “I’m a real competitor, and basketball fills that desire. Every day I get dressed to work hard, to test my abilities. I put myself out of my comfort zone because that’s the only way to improve.”
She adds the sport has helped her throughout life’s challenges.
“It has helped me clear my head of every negative thing this world has to offer,” Cable said. “Most people don’t deserve to go through the things they do. Everyone has that one thing that gets them away from everything, and basketball happens to be my thing.”
Though Cable is undoubtedly impressive on the court, her incredible ability to push through challenges is evident in her personal life as well. She lost both her mother and father in 2015.
“My parents passed away two months apart from each other and both deaths were unexpected,” Cable said. “When it happened, I thought I couldn’t go on. They were my best friends, and [I thought], ‘I don’t know what I did to deserve this.’ But I know it has pushed me to become a better person. I have become 100 times the person I was. And because of it, I am grateful.”
Cable attributes her accomplishments to her parents.
“My parents motivate me to be a better player. Even though they aren’t here with me, I know they are right by me pushing me to the max,” Cable said. “My parents didn’t raise some average kid, they raised a goal-reacher and an achiever. I’ve put everything I have into working out, basketball and my education.”
She adds her parents influence her to not only become a better player, but a better person as well.
“My mom taught me to put anyone else before me,” Cable said. “Usually people say put yourself before people, but that’s not how I work. I believe I will do anything to make anyone smile. My mom once told me, ‘Kes, I wish everyone was blind, so everyone would accept each other for the way they are,’ and that never left me and it never will.”
Additionally, she says her dad taught her the importance of an optimistic attitude.
“My dad always taught me to be happy in every situation, because life is short and for some people it might be shorter than expected,” Cable said. “[He said] never forget that life is about how you make it. My parents taught me to push through every little thing that happens to you. And they are more than half the reason I am who I am today.”
Hillstrom has witnessed firsthand how Cable possesses both of the attributes taught by her parents.
“She always looks for the good in people and never judges someone by their appearances,” Hillstrom said. “She puts others first even when she shouldn’t. And even though she has been through the hardest things ever, she brings out the good in them.”
Although Cable has had her fair share of negatives, she strives to focus on the positive things that happen in her life.
“I have many friends that make my life more fun and enjoyable and help me understand that life isn’t always about grief,” she said. “Things happen, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is how you deal with those things. It’s not how things happen, it’s how you bounce back from what happens.”
Cable also believes athletes need to set good examples for their fellow teammates.
“I think it’s very important to be a good role model because it shows other people what hard work can give you, and how keeping yourself clean helps with your performance,” Cable said. “When someone looks up to you because of how hard you work, it will make them want to work harder. As an athlete, you have such a big impact on people.”
Her own role model is NBA basketball player Steph Curry.
“He works so hard and he makes me want to work harder. He’s a team player. He plays for anybody but himself,” Cable said. “He is selfless, but I think there are lots of (athletes) I could pick just by how determined they are. That’s what I really look for; if they are a selfless player and they work for what they want.”
Weber High senior Sarah Calvert wrote this story as part of the Preps Utah student journalism program, powered by Bank of American Fork, which will award two of our published student journalists college scholarships at the end of the school year. Calvert is a journalist at Weber High School and a life enthusiast. She has an unhealthy addiction to hot chocolate and is particularly fond of peanut butter M&Ms. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, listening to music and watching re-runs of Parks and Recreation.