Senior Riley Lowe Takes Center Stage as Star Soccer Player and Actress at LHS

Fayette County Athlete of the Week

Riley Lowe is a senior star for the La Grange girls soccer team.

She’s the reigning District Utility Player of the Year, also a standout student-athlete in the classroom and has won a number of acting awards with the La Grange High School one-act play.

“I have no end of good things to say about Riley,” said La Grange head coach Lauren Hubbert. “She is a wonderful all-around kid. Riley is an exceptional student athlete – one of the top in her class. She has her hands in so many activities, and she is amazing at everything she does because she puts her heart and soul into everything she does. She does not hold back. She never gives up. She rallies and encourages her teammates in every moment. I wish I could clone her and have 15 more of her. Everyone loves Riley. She was pretty much unanimously voted into the team captain role this year and she’s earned it ... I never see Riley have a down day.”

We’re proud to honor Riley Lowe as this week’s Fayette County Athlete of the Week.

We caught up with Lowe just moments after Tuesday’s district opener.

Here’s our interview with her: Talk about how the soccer season’s going so far?

“We are definitely making progress, which is something I am super proud of. I can’t name one person who is not hustling every day trying to get better.”

How long have you been playing soccer?

“I played Optimist Club soccer starting around third grade, off and on, and got serious about seventh grade.”

If you could have dinner with any three famous people, who would you pick?

“I’ve gotta say George Washington, I feel like he was really a character. The presidents are popping in my mind, so Abraham Lincoln, and Dolly Parton, she’s an icon.”

Soccer’s such a brutal sport in part because it coincides with the worst weather of the year. How do you handle playing a sport in such cold conditions?

“Warming up is really important ... Cold gear, layering up, stretching, don’t stay in one spot, stay constantly moving ... When it gets too cold you get completely numb but when the ball hits you it stings.”

Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions?

“I did the basic one, stay

See consistent with the gym and another one was just to be positive. I’m moving through my senior year handling a lot, UIL events, soccer, so I don’t want to get down on myself if I get tired and take a break. And my biggest one was just to work hard. It’s a New Year’s Resolution but it’s also one I keep close to me because it’s kind of the key to success.”

What’s your favorite class this year?

“AP English, I love Ms. Stork, she inspires change and really pushes my writing. She helped me pick up (UIL) Ready Writing this year. I love writing. I love reading. We’re getting into Shakespeare now and that kind of ties all my interests together.”

What’s your favorite movie or play?

“My favorite movies are 1917 and Dead Poet’s Society. Robin Williams is one of my favorite actors to see on the screen.

“Play-wise, I’m going to go with our One-Act play last year ‘Jack Fell Down.’ It’s genuinely one of the most heartfelt plays I’ve ever seen.”

What has been your favorite role to play as an actress?

“It had to be Jack (the title character from last year’s UIL One Act play that advanced all the way to regionals). It was daunting going into it and being told you’re going to play a 12-year-old boy, but he’s not a boy, he’s a puppet and then learning you actually have to dance the entire show when I hadn’t danced a day in my life. But me and the other actors, Austin (Williams) and Molly (Hudson), we took it on. I can’t express the amount of gratitude I have for them because without them I would have gone crazy ... It was the most dynamic character.”

Is there anything you’ve learned from soccer that makes you a better actress or anything you learned from acting that makes you a better soccer player?

“Discipline, that is the biggest core value I’ve developed from sports and acting,

“If you don’t get a line you can’t throw a fit. You just have to calm down and reflect on the situation and make sure your feelings don’t affect others. Keeping yourself cool, calm, and collected is really important, and also respect goes into that as well. With discipline you learn to respect and trust others, and it’s a very good core value I’ve learned in sports and acting.”