Seniors Madison Palubicki and Marina Efstathiu are the graduating class of 2016’s only four-year three-sport athletes and are currently taking part in their last season of sport at Roseville High School. Sports have been major parts of these girls’ lives since they were young. Efstathiu joined her middle school’s track team in eighth grade and had been participating in many other sports as well. Palubicki did not play any of her current sports until high school, but she played a few others when she was younger.

Both have been members of the basketball team, the tennis team, the skiing team and the track and field team during their four years at RHS. Palubicki has also played for the softball team.

Palubicki feels that playing so many sports throughout her life has provided her with many benefits.

“[Sports] have given me something to relieve my stress, and [to] go and just forget about my problems,” Palubicki said. “I’ve made a lot of friends and it’s created a great support system.”

One of the girls’ current track and field coaches, Mark McMinn, recognizes the hard work that the girls have put in to earn their four-year three-sport athlete status and feels that it is a tremendous feat.

“It takes hard work and dedication to dedicate that much time to school and sports,” McMinn said. “Athletes that are able to achieve this are ahead of the game because of their ability to manage their time effectively.”

Palubicki believes that she has learned a lot from playing sports and that many of these things have helped her through her academic career.
“It’s made me a better person,” Palubicki said. “It’s taught me a lot of responsibility and overall just helped me through school. It’s actually really hard but you just have to prioritize things and know your time limit.”

Neither of the girls have been accepted into a college under a sporting scholarship of any kind but Efstathiu has considered walking onto a tennis team. If she does not, she will most likely play for a club or an intramural team. Palubicki does not plan on playing in college.

Instead, both girls have excelled in their academic careers in addition to their sporting ones. Efstathiu plans to attend the University of Boulder and Palubicki plans to attend San Francisco State University

McMinn supports the girls in their futures as students and athletes but wishes that they had decided to play their sports at the collegiate level.
“It is disappointing that [they] won’t be playing at the college level,” McMinn said. “I understand [their] goals when [they] go to college. I support and wish [them] the best.”