Abbie Schmidt brings qualities to every athletic team she has been on that have made her a valuable teammate.

Benefiting from her impact have been Fuqua School’s softball, girls basketball and volleyball programs.

Now in her sophomore year, she presently serves as the starting shooting guard for the varsity girls basketball team.

Mike Ford is head coach of the team, and he is quite familiar with Schmidt since is he also head coach of the varsity softball squad.

“I love her to death,” Ford said. “She’s got a great attitude. She’s a hard worker. Came in, got some really big hits for us in softball season last year, and she had a couple real good games in basketball this year. She’s a good athlete.”

Schmidt said she has played basketball since sixth grade, and she has played softball since she was 5 years old.

She said softball is her favorite sport.

“I guess since I play travel (ball), I get to meet more people with that sport, so it’s kind of interesting to see others play that sport too,” she said.

She has demonstrated impressive versatility in both softball and basketball.

In softball, “I usually play first or second, but I can play anywhere,” she said.

In basketball, “She can play the point guard, she can play shooting guard, she can play small forward,” Ford said. “I wouldn’t be afraid to put her under the basket if I needed to. So, yeah, she can play just about anywhere.”

He noted she is one of the team’s leading scorers and top rebounders.

Schmidt’s personality helps make her a good teammate and a steady presence on the diamond or the court.

“My personality, I think I’m pretty nice and kind of soft-spoken,” she said. “… I feel like it helps me mesh better with the players, because we all kind of get along better when we’re soft-spoken.”

Ford said, “I’ve never seen her in a bad mood — always upbeat. I definitely think that helps her as an athlete. Just a pleasure to coach.”

Asked to provide three words to describe herself, Schmidt said, “Hardworking, dedicated and nice.”

When she has time away from school and athletics, she said, “I like to hang out with family and friends and go to the lake.”