Sidney's Choice
BUFFALO TWP — Sidney Shemanski has options.
Lots of options.
She also has one big decision to make.
And it's almost an impossible one.
Shemanski, a senior at Freeport High School, is a standout in three sports: soccer, basketball and track and field. She's received multiple college offers in all three sports.
When asked which sports she would chose if put on the spot and forced to make an immediate decision, Shemanski paused.
“Do I have to answer that?” she asked, chuckling. “Honestly, I wouldn't be able to answer. Whatever sport you want me to play, I'll play.”
Shemanski said she doesn't have a preference between the three sports and that she loves each one of them equally.
While that's good for her three coaches, who get to see the best of Shemanski in-season, it has been a source of consternation for the Yellowjackets' star.
She feels the clock ticking on when she has to make a decision.
“I honestly still have no idea what I'm going to do,” Shemanski said. “I've gotten a lot of offers, more so in basketball and some here and there in the other sports, but it's definitely getting stressful now.”
But Shemanski is also cognizant of how fortunate she is. Not many athletes are blessed with the opportunity to have a chance to play one of three sports at the next level.
Shemanski is so conflicted because she has been so good in all three.
On the soccer pitch, Shemanski has started since her freshman season and has piled up 54 goals and 42 assists in her career so far, including 24 goals and nine assists last season.
She's made the Butler Eagle Girls Soccer Honor Roll teams all three years.On the basketball court, Shemanski averaged 14.6 points, nine rebounds, 4.1 assists and 3.6 steals per game as a junior point guard, helping Freeport to one of the best seasons in school history at 18-5.Shemanski has scored 801 points in her career.“She does it all,” said Freeport girls basketball coach Fred Soilis of the 5-foot-10 guard. “She has a high motor and brings it night in and night out.”Shemanski is ranked as one of the top girls basketball recruits in the state by PA Girls Hoops Report.On the track, Shemanski placed third in the Class AA 400 and fourth in the 800 at the WPIAL championships.Shemanski was second in the 800 in the WPIAL as a sophomore and won the event at the WPIAL championships as a freshman.She also has two state medals in the 800 to her name.It's no wonder then that Shemanski is getting loads of interest from colleges in all three sports.“It's no so much about what sport she will excel in at the next level,” Soilis said. “She's going to excel in life. She's a great student as well as a great athlete.”In an age where athletes are specializing in one sport all year round, Shemanski is a kind of throwback.Shemanski had pondered focusing on just one sport and asked her parents' advice on the subject.They urged her to continue playing all three.“They told me playing all three sports will help you get more attention from colleges,” Shemanski said.They were correct.Shemanski has also developed a simple approach to her sports.When it's soccer season, she focuses completely on soccer.“During soccer season, I hunker down on that. I give 110 percent effort on soccer to play the best I can play. When it's basketball season, I focus totally on basketball.”Shemanski said she is sometimes surprised at how quickly she can round into form early in each season.She said adjusting to soccer may be the most difficult.“Whenever I start back into soccer, I get a little intimidated at first,” Shemanski said. “But I play myself through it.”There is a bit of an adjustment for Shemanski, too, when it comes time to transition from soccer to basketball.“You go from using all feet and no hands to all hands and no feet,” Shemanski said, laughing. “It usually comes to me the first day. Coach always says, 'No feet.'”Shemanski is excited for all of her seasons during her senior year.She is moving from midfielder to forward for the Yellowjackets' soccer team this season, which should open up more opportunities for her to score.The basketball team will return all five starters and Shemanski will try to improve upon her ninth-place finish at the state meet in the 800.Shemanski said she hopes to make her decision about her athletic and academic future soon.“I definitely want to make it before basketball season,” Shemanski said. “I'm definitely feeling the pressure.”
