Featured Athlete of the Week -- Savannah Dejaml

Why did you choose to go to Bethany? The friendly atmosphere and sense of community I felt as soon as I had spent an hour on campus, along with the opportunity to play college softball on a team with a traditionally strong program, made my decision to attend Bethany an easy one.

What has been your favorite memory from college? Choosing a favorite memory is like picking a favorite child. I love them all, and I wouldn't be the same if I hadn't experienced each one. That being said, memories made with the softball team are the stuff of legend. We have gotten into some crazy shenanigans...Spring Break '08 being one of the most worthy of note.

What has been your favorite memory from your career as an athlete? During the fall season of my freshman year, we scrimmaged Central Christian College of McPherson, conveniently the team my older sister had been playing on for two years. Coach Esses gave me the opportunity to pitch, and my sister came up to bat. Of course, I tried to keep it professional, but I couldn't prevent a wink from escaping my otherwise deadpan countenance. This was a scenario we had envisioned since we were wee tots. To my chagrin, I didn't manage to strike her out, but I didn't allow her a hit either. We called it a draw.

What drives you as an athlete? I am driven by my need to reach my greatest personal potential. I may never be the best. I didn't start soon enough, I wasn't blessed with an inordinate amount of grace or athleticism, but I am determined to get the most success out of this old body that I possibly can. I refuse to be left with the thought that I could have excelled if I had applied myself more.

What is a talent outside of your sport that you posses? I excel at knitting, I have a stockpile of random bits of trivia, and I can whistle with my hands. I am also a champion reader, and I am a pretty decent imitator of both animals and people.

Favorite Food: Cookie dough and cake batter
Favorite Place to Eat: Anywhere someone cooks for me
Favorite Beverage: Jones Soda
Favorite TV Show: The Office, Iron Chef Japan, Avatar, and Scrubs
Favorite Book: All the King's Men, Pride and Prejudice, They Shoot Canoes, Don't They?, The Harry Potter series, and All Things Bright and Beautiful
Favorite Class: American Novel
Favorite Movie(s): The Princess Bride, Boondock Saints, Garden State, Hot Fuzz, Almost Heroes
Favorite Band(s): Ok Go, Flogging Molly, The Shins, Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters, Buzz Poets, Beach Boys, The Darkness, and Tenacious D
Favorite Holiday: My birthday
Favorite Actor: Christian Bale
Favorite Actress: Cate Blanchett
Favorite Quote: "I'm an idealist. I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way." --Carl Sandburg

"Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves." --Albert Einstein

"I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till I drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion." --Jack Kerouac

What is your current desktop picture? A snail navigating its way out of a maze of salt...the caption reads, "Problem Solving: Your Life May Depend on It"
What do you put on your hamburgers: Lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, ketchup.