Grygla High School athlete sets new record by reaching 1000 kills and 1000 points

Shantel Verbout, a Grygla High School Senior, has set a new record at her school. She is the first GHS athlete to hit 1,000 kills on the volleyball court, in addition to scoring over 1,000 points on the basketball court. Setting this goal for herself when she was just a 7th grader, Shantel proudly hit the mark her final year of being a Charger’s athlete. She is the daughter of Jimmy and Brandi Verbout, Grygla.

Being a part of the elementary basketball program, and joining the volleyball and basketball teams as a 7th grader, Shantel has seen her share of time on the court. On October 26th, the Charger’s Volleyball team was playing Norman County West in Goodridge when Shantel hit her 1,000th kill. She is the first GHS volleyball player to reach this significant number. With half of her goal accomplished, she set out to finish her personal goal once basketball season started! On January 19th, the Chargers were playing in Warroad when Shantel got her 1,000th point. She says, “I knew I had to continue to push myself in order to achieve the goals, but I also had a great support system pushing me along the way.”

Shantel says her team was a major part of that support system and added that they kept pushing her to get better every day. She also recognizes that her coaches played a key role in her athletic success. Shantel’s volleyball coach was Jean Schulz; her basketball coach is Elroy Johnsrud. Of them, she says, “I love how Jean was always supportive and encouraging. She knew what we all could do and she would push us everyday. She had faith in us and she never backed down from a challenge.” She adds, “Elroy is always encouraging and he gives us confidence when we don’t have as much as we should. He is very good at making it enjoyable to play but he keeps us focused on the games. In practice he pushes us with different drills and competing against each other. He challenges us by adding different defensive and offensive plays in practice so we’re ready for it in games. I enjoy both of the coaches I have. I love my team.”

Shantel has reached many athletic achievements. She has been nominated for the AAA award and has received All-Conference awards in both sports since her 10th grade year. She has also been the recipient of the Academic All State Award. In addition to volleyball and basketball, Shantel definitely has a full plate. She is an honor student who works through the challenge of keeping her grades up. She is involved in River Watch, National Honor Society, Peer Helpers and is the Senior Class Secretary. On top of her classes at Grygla High School, she also takes a few credits via online college classes. After her high school graduation this May, Shantel plans to attend Northland Community & Technical College in Thief River Falls. She would like to pursue an Associates of Arts degree in Business, then transfer to a university to further her education in the business field. She hasn’t fully decided if she’ll play collegiate level sports, but is considering joining the volleyball team.

When asked if she has a specific sport’s hero, Shantel replied, “I don’t really have one, but I remember watching all of my older cousins in sports and hoping that I could be like them one day.”

As an addition to this feature, Shantel’s coaches were asked to weigh in and share some things about her. Her volleyball coach, Jean Schulz, didn’t hesitate to show her support, saying, “I have coached Shantel for 4 years. She played a little her freshman year and then became a starter for 3 years. Shantel’s main role was hitting and blocking. She was the team captain her senior year. Shantel always had a good positive attitude. Referees would even comment on how smiley she was. Her leadership was displayed by her actions more than words, she worked hard and was kind and respectful to teammates, coaches and refs, and she expected the same from her teammates. One word I would use to describe Shantel is talented. I helped Shantel accomplish her goal by encouragement, giving suggestion on what to do during the game to get kills, and pushed her to get better in practice and in games. I loved watching Shantel play volleyball. She is such a strong hitter and blocker. When I think about coaching Shantel I will think about how fun it was to coach her and watch her play. I will also think about how respectful she was to her coaches. She is an amazing talented athlete, and I am very proud of her and all she has accomplished.”

Her basketball coach, Elroy Johnsrud, also offered up support to Shantel by sharing some of his thoughts. “Shantel is a leader on this team. She keeps everybody ready to go during practice and calm during the game. During the game she can do it all. She can help bring the ball up when we are getting pressured, she can set up the offense, she can play the guard or post in any offense. Defensively is the same thing. Whereever we need her to play, she can play it. She has an awesome attitude on and off the court. I never see her getting mad at her teammates. She is always trying to encourage them. Off the court, she is approachable and easy to talk to. She shows leadership by being vocal on the court. She plays her role on the court, and has a good knowledge for the game. She doesn’t argue with the refs, the other team, or coaches. She is willing to help the rest of her team get better by helping them learn a play or by simply leading by example. One word to describe her would be smart. She gets good grades in school, and she is smart in the way she plays sports. She never puts herself above the rest of the team. She understands what to do in certain situations of the game. She knows that you have to put in extra time to get better at something. I think she will be successful in whatever she decides to do with her life.” He added, “Shantel scored her 1,000th point throughout the years by playing smart, being aggressive, and being a team player. A few years from now, when I think of Shantel, I will remember how smart she was, her sense of humor, her leadership, how versatile of player she is, and how much she had fun playing the game. I am glad I had the opportunity to coach her.”