ABOVE: Pictured is Fairmont's Kennedy Becker.

FAIRMONT – Three-sport athlete and co-captain of the Fairmont High School girls soccer team Kennedy Becker focuses on building her leadership skills on and off the soccer field through coaching, mentoring and being as active in the community as possible.

Fairmont girls soccer head coach Matt Nielsen stated that Kennedy is dedicated to soccer just as much as she is to academics and her community.

“If I was to boil down for you what kind of kid Kennedy is, yesterday, she, together with Grace [Simpson], ran a captain’s practice for an hour and a half in the morning,” said Nielsen. “She gave blood in the afternoon, because she wants to be a blood donor and help people.”

Beyond that Becker takes the time to referee youth soccer. Rather than just blowing the whistle and calling fouls, however, she takes the time to teach the players and foster player development and love for the sport.

“She refereed a youth soccer game in the evening down at the field, where I watched her not just referee a game, but she taught the game to every girl out there as she was reffing,” said Neilsen. “She wasn’t just blowing her whistle and saying you did something wrong. She was both encouraging them to do things right and showing them how to do things right.”

Ego is not an issue for Becker, who takes her coaches feedback to heart, even though according to Nielsen she is by far harder on herself than her coaches have ever been.

“She takes coaching to heart and does her best with it, a lot of times to her detriment. She’s her own toughest critic,” said Nielsen. “There’s nothing I can say or do as a coach that would be tougher on Kennedy than what she puts herself through. She’s always striving for excellence, but not for herself, for her team.”

Becker said that it’s all about the team stating that it feels like a family and she loves the push she gets from her teammates and the competition. It fuels her drive to improve her play not for herself but for her team.

“I really love the team aspect of it,” Becker said. “Like, having that family in there and in the game, having someone to go around with. It also really pushes you to be more competitive when you’re with your team because you want to do better for your team.”

Becker has found success in the academic world as well competing in mathematics competitions, a subject she excels in taking second in the Trig-Star tournament in back-to-back years.

In addition to the math competitions, Becker is also heavily involved with a leadership class at Fairmont High School, an elective that helps other students transition to their new environment and have more support making it more comfortable for them.

“Every week we go and talk to the younger kids,” said Becker. “We basically try to get them used to the environment there because they’re kind of struggling with adapting.”

Becker also participates in many of the local CER basketball camps and as a coach for youth soccer looking to develop her leadership skills. After her senior year, she plans to go on to pursue a post-secondary degree in the finance field.