Senior passes along basketball knowledge to next generation

In her childhood years, Trinity Faulkner benefited from the game of basketball and developed a lifelong appreciation of the sport.

To help fulfill her high school graduation requirement and celebrate a passion for making passes and baskets, Faulkner used her knowledge and skills to assist Parks and Recreation's youth basketball program last October.

The 17-year-old worked with 5- to 7-year-old kids on dribbling, throwing and other game basics for about six weeks. Even though she didn't play the game for most of her high school years, Faulkner would still practice. Working with the kids helped her stay connected to the sport.

"I started (playing basketball) when I was in fifth grade, and I played all throughout middle school," she said. When she was a freshman, she lived in Seward. She said she didn't get along with the girls on the team there and decided against playing. She lived in California and Maine her sophomore year, was homeschooled her junior year and came to Wrangell her senior year.

"I continued practicing all these years," Faulkner said. "My principal wanted me to play in Maine. He wanted me to play really bad, but I told him no. I couldn't get along with the girls."

Fortunately, she got along with her teammates in Wrangell, and the squad narrowly missed a second-place seed at regionals that would have taken them to state competition.

During her time with the kids in the Parks and Recreation program, Faulkner said she would take timelapse video to document their practice and progress. "It looks so chaotic with the kids running around. ... It's pretty fast, so you can't tell much of what's going on."

There were supposed to be scrimmage games against other teams, but those plans fell through and the sessions stuck mainly to activities and practice.

"Trinity taught the kiddos how to dribble, chest pass, bounce pass, shoot and guard each other," said Devyn Johnson, who coached the program and was Faulkner's mentor on the project. "She was very passionate about teaching the kids. She was wonderful working one-on-one with kids and really teaching them specific moves."

Eventually, after graduating, Faulkner would like to attend cosmetology school since her other passions are fashion, cosmetology and body art. She's looking at a school in Minneapolis, but she wants to take a year off from education.

"I want to take a gap year and save up money," she said. "I'll be nannying all summer for two families here in town. Then I'll continue to work somewhere. I might have a fishing job in the fall ... running a skiff. It's not set yet."

Johnson said she sees Faulkner as "a responsible and dependable young leader. I look forward to seeing what she tackles in the future."

Faulkner said the thing she'll miss most about school is playing sports, though she's signed up for the newly formed softball team which will take her through the end of the school year.

The thing she won't miss about high school?

"Keeping my grades up. School work. Not a fan," she said.