Alexander Gilmour – Okmulgee High School
Versatile players cover many positions and excel in more than one sport. Alexander Gilmour, a senior at Okmulgee High School has proven his versatility on the field. “I play every single position. I’m our utility guy in baseball and in football I play safety, kicker, and wide receiver,” he says.
Achieving this skill on the field did not just happen. “It takes so much to be successful in any sport. For me it took many hours of practice and determination as well as a positive mindset because not every day is going to be a good day in sports. After all, players have slumps, but you always have to stay positive even through those down days,” he said.
Representing OHS as an athlete is about more than just playing a game. “For me,” says Alexander, “it means showingthe dedication and work that the community and school has poured into our program.”
Alexander will always remember his first interception playing football. Narrowing one memory for baseball is a little harder but he chose this year’s Depew tournament. “The bases were loaded in the bottom of the fifth and I was brought in as the pitcher to get us out of the inning and that is exactly what I did. I struck out all three batters allowing no runs to be scored,” he said.
When asked if he has a favorite team to beat Alexander replied no, but he does have a favorite team to play against. “That would be Meeker,” he says, “not because we have bad blood with them but because they are just a team that has fun and isn’t so snobby.
The teammate he plays most against is his “buddy” Daylan Callaway. “I’ve been playing baseball with him for ten years now and he always struggles to admit that I’m better than him,” he laughs, “so we always go at it in practice seeing who can do better. I will say he is a better pitcher than me.”
A teammate Alexander thinks is overlooked is Jordan Deere. “Jordan has produced quite a lot at the plate and in the field. I feel like he doesn’t get enough praise for it. After all, he is hitting 400 on the year right now with 1.100 ops so I feel like he deserves a lot more praise,” says Alexander.
He is motivated by family with Dad as his biggest role model. “He has influenced my life by exposing me to new things that I never would have thought of,” he said.
Mr. Scott Bevan has also impacted Alexander’s life. Entering high school, he had no idea what he wanted to do but Mr. Bevan did. “He (Mr. Bevan) said I was going to be a pilot and put me in our aviation program. At the time I just brushed it off and didn’t really think much of it. As I kept going to his class and learning about aviation, I realized he was right, I was going to be a pilot,” said Alexander.
Alexander is president of TSA, a member of FFA, academic team captain, and is in a program to launch weather balloons for NASA during an upcoming eclipse.
