Legacy of Love:

First impressions of Shalynn Pedersen may be of a docile, unassuming teenager. At times, that may be true, but she also has athleticism and determination running through her veins. Her connection to sports can be traced back to her relationship with her uncle, Tyrel Shumway.

Shumway, a 2010 GHS graduate, was an accomplished multi-sport athlete. In addition to being a part of a very successful Scottie football season, he also finished on top of his game as a state champion wrestler his senior year. Before making the commitment to play football and wrestling in high school, Shumway also played baseball.

Just months before Pedersen's eighth birthday, her beloved uncle took his own life. At the same time, it seems he planted a seed of inspiration within his young niece. Although it took years to cultivate and grow, Pedersen is beginning to blossom into a competitor in the same sports her uncle enjoyed and thrived in.

According to Pedersen's parents, Kala and Michael, Shumway was insistent that his niece would be a force to be reckoned with in the athletic arena, and noted that he would roughhouse with her to "toughen her up."

Instead of participating in sports traditionally meant for girls, Pedersen has begun blazing her own trail in the male-dominated sports of wrestling, football and baseball.

According to Pederson's mother, she was able to place five times during last year's wrestling season, and she finished with two pins on the mat. She's also played baseball for the last seven years and has no intention of stopping now.

At five-foot-two-inches, Pedersen can hold her own on the gridiron, taking her hits and delivering a few as well. She has been involved in the Knights of Columbus football program for years, and she participated in an AAU tackle football tournament last year, so she has a solid foundation to build off of for her football career.

Although she's not really worried, Pedersen has thought things through, requesting to be listed as "Sha" on the football roster so she isn't targeted by the boys during a game.

As for the boys on her team, Pedersen said, "They treat me like I'm one of them." Her father confirmed that and said, "The coaches and the kids don't treat her any different. This group of boys accept her for who she is." As a matter of fact, her teammates began the season with a gesture of sportsmanship when they decided she should be the first to choose her jersey number for the season. She chose the same number her uncle wore at her age: #32.

When asked why she chooses to play the sports typically meant for boys, Pedersen said with a shrug, "I just looked up to my uncle Tyrel."

No matter what happens in the coming years, it is apparent that Pedersen is committed to preserving her uncle's legacy in Scottie sports. A legacy of love.