It's a busy time of year for Gilbert High's Marisa Stankiewicz as she wraps up one prep career and begins the final chapter of another.

Stankiewicz leads a sort of double-life in February. Softball player by day (a .438 hitter last year), cheerleader at night. It's not unfamiliar to her. She's done it all four years at Gilbert. This year it's been a bit more hectic.

Take last Thursday (Valentine's Day). Gilbert's softball team competes in a scrimmage against Xavier in downtown Phoenix. The bus to Xavier leaves around 2 p.m. It arrives a little later than expected due to traffic for a 3:30 start. The scrimmage concludes and  bus leaves around 5:30 give or take. Traffic is bad again. No big deal for her teammates.

But for her, she has to cheer at Gilbert's first-round boys basketball game vs. Desert Vista at 7 p.m. A tight squeeze, but....

"I think we got to the parking lot a few minutes before 7,"  Marisa Stankiewicz said. "Was supposed to be at the gym by 6 to warm up. I hurried in, got changed and as I was coming out they were announcing the lineups. Made it, but not by much."

Today (Tuesday Feb. 19) is similar to Valentine's Day. Softball practice in the afternoon and then rush to ASU's Wells Fargo Arena for Gilbert's boys basketball quarterfinal vs. Pinnacle at 4:15 p.m. Cheerleading gets the nod today, so she is allowed to miss practice. Thursday (Feb. 21) would offer another a conflict with an actual softball game. Quite a juggling act. One she would be allowed to skirt since the softball contests are invitational tournament games and don't count against a team's record in qualifying for postseason.

Gilbert softball coach Shaundra Gutierrez is impressed by Stankiewicz's talent in both endeavors. They serve each other well. And she's been flexible in accomodating both.

"She's amazing," Gutierrez said. "She's been able to work out schedules. Find time for both. It's kind of unique what she's done."

If one has never seen Marisa Stankiewicz play, she is not afraid to get dirty. Not when in softball apparel. That's the rough-and-tumble side. Then there's the cheerleading side.  

"I get asked a lot by people at school why I do cheerleading," Marisa Stankiewicz said. " I tell them it makes me girly. Other than middle school, I've done both all the time. My club (softball) team only practices on weekends so that didn't interfere with cheerleading during the fall and football on Friday nights." 

Another reason Marisa Stankiewicz participates in both has to be the genes. Her father, Andy Stankiewicz,  played professionally with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Montreal Expos and the Arizona Diamondbacks and currently is the head baseball coach at Grand Canyon University. Her mother, Mari Ana, was a professiional cheerleader. Older brother, Drew, played baseball at Gilbert High, graduating in 2011. Drew currently plays baseball at ASU.

Marisa Stankiewicz has lived the good life when it comes to extrac-currcular activities in high school. She's started for what will be three-plus years for the varsity softball team come Wednesday's season opener in the Lion Country Classic tournament at Red Mountain and Skyline high schools. She's cheered for the varsity squad three of four years. Dropping one or the other has never been an option she weighed in high school.

Cheerleading ends once Gilbert's boys basketball team has no games left. Softball continues in the fall as she'll play at ASU where she signed a letter-of-intent in November. 

"If I had a choice of where I wanted to go, it was ASU," Marisa Stankiewicz said." I grew up going to ASU softball games. I'm happy about that. My brother and I are close. He loves it there, and says I'm going to have the best time there."

A better time than cheerleading and playing softball at Gilbert?  Sounds like that will be tough to top.

 

 

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