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Woosters Pettorini finds balance in school and in sports

Perspective.

It’s easy to lose that as a high school athlete. When the world revolves around school, training and games 12 months of the year, it can be difficult to think about what life looks like when organized sport is no longer an option.

Wooster's Tori Pettorini was able to recognize the meaning of life beyond sports while excelling on the field and court, earning her a spot as one of eight recipients of the Roy S. Bates Scholarship.

Growing up in a sports-loving family – her parents Tim and Tina were both standout athletes and her grandfather Tim was a longtime baseball coach at the College of Wooster – things could have turned out very differently. Pettorini's older brother, Tyler, put in extra time to become an elite athlete and saw it pay off by starting for the Ohio State baseball team since his freshman year.

“What most high school students need to know is, hey, it’s all about sports,” Pettorini said. “It’s not your whole life. Your whole life doesn't think about winning and losing. I think that's the most important thing. Just have fun.”

Pettorini realized that this path was not for her and made peace with it.

“I've always grown up and everything revolves around sports,” Pettorini said. “Even starting high school, I was like, ‘I have to be an all-conference player, an all-district player. I think this year was the moment when I realized that this isn't what I'm planning on doing. “I'm still going to put 100% into everything, but it's given me a little more peace of mind that it's okay to play bad games.

And yet, the senior was still a key player in three sports for the Generals — playing on the softball diamond and basketball court for several years and playing a key role on the volleyball court as a senior.

As a basketball player, she became one of the region's most dangerous 3-point shooters and earned first- or second-team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference honors her final three years of play. Although the Generals' softball program was constantly changing during her four years, Pettorini was a consistent hitter on a team trying to find its identity.

Volleyball was the biggest challenge for Pettorini, who decided not to play as a junior. As a senior, however, she put in a lot of time and effort and saw plenty of action for a Wooster team that went undefeated in the regular season before losing in the district final.

While playing three sports, Pettorini still managed a weighted grade point average of 3.99 while juggling a demanding course load.

Pettorini hasn't quite decided on her college choice yet, but is leaning toward attending Ohio State and pursuing the medical field – a challenge away from sports that she plans to pursue with full attention.

“My grades always came first,” Pettorini said. “I've always been an annoying kid where whenever I get a B it's like, 'Oh my God.'” … I know it would be very difficult for me as an athlete to be really great at this Being a sport but also continuing to get A's and B's. I'm ready to move on with my life sports.”

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