2020 Senior Spotlight: Skylar Bowman

By Andy Brown
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Updated: April 28, 2020

Andy Brown / Louisburg Sports Zone

Louisburg Sports Zone will be running senior spotlights through April and May everyday (Monday through Friday) in an effort to honor seniors who had their seasons taken away due to the spread of COVID-19.

Since joining the Louisburg girls soccer program, all Skylar Bowman has come to know is winning.

Of course, the same could be said for the 11 other seniors in the Wildcat program as that class has been a part of three consecutive final four appearances and two Class 4-1A state runner-up finishes.

“I was really looking forward to getting a chance to get to state four years in a row,” Bowman said. “I had been to state all my other years of high school, so it would have been really cool to get there all four years. I would love to get the chance to play one last time with a team that really had it all.”

Louisburg was considered one of the favorites to get back to the championship game this spring as the Wildcats returned 12 seniors and some key underclassmen from last season’s second place squad.

That is what made the news in March all that more difficult to take.

Spring sports across the country were canceled due to COVID-19 – and just like that – Bowman’s soccer career came to a close before her last season could really get started.

“I’m just trying to find a positive in everyday life,” Bowman said. “It has been super hard, but I have come to the realization that there is nothing we can do about it now and what has happened has happened. Knowing that I will never step on the field again with the team that I love was heartbreaking.”

Bowman has played a big role for the Wildcats on the defensive side of the ball and has started in 20 games for the Wildcats. Even before she became a starter, she was also vital player off the bench as she played in 58 games. She finished her career with two goals and two assists.

“Sky was a solid defender and defensive midfielder,” Louisburg coach Kyle Conley said. “She did a really good job of anticipating the play and shutting the opponent down. She did a very nice job of keeping the play in front of her and became very dependable in the back for us.”

Soccer has been a large part of Bowman’s life – ever since she can remember. Now, she is preparing for a life away from the game she loves.

“I have been playing soccer since I was 4,” Bowman said. “My mom just signed me up because we had just moved to Kansas and we didn’t know many people. I started playing on Louisburg rec teams and then went competitive when I was 7. It has always been a big part of my life because I have played it for so long.”

Preparing for life without soccer also means preparing for life away from her teammates, which for Bowman, has been difficult. Still, she will remember her time with the Wildcat program with fond memories.

**Senior Skylar Bowman is a returning starter from last season’s state runner-up team.**

“The soccer senior class is really special because we went to state every year that we had played,” Bowman said. “We got a taste of what it was like to go to state and be in the final two. We all wanted the same thing, and it made us closer as a team. The coaches are amazing. They push each and every one of us because they know what we can do. They always believe in us and never doubt us.

“I don’t think I have one favorite memory about high school soccer. My favorite times are just seeing how far we had come from the beginning of the season to the end and to see how hard everyone has worked as a team to get where we were.”

Other than soccer, Louisburg Sports Zone also had a chance to catch up with Skylar on how she has been coping with an early end to her senior year and some of her other interests. Here are her responses from the rest of our Q&A.

LSZ: What have you been missing the most during this time away from everyone?

SB: The thing that I have missed most about being away from everyone is just having a team full of people who really care. We all always had something to laugh about and it was nice getting away from the stress of school and other things going on to just practice with a team who was really driven.

LSZ: What is your most memorable moment as an athlete or in school, and why?

SB: My most memorable moment as an athlete was getting to go to state as a freshman. Most athletes in other schools don’t get that chance but I did.

LSZ: What is your favorite activity/hobby outside of sports and why?

SB: My favorite activity outside of school is probably anything outdoors. I also really enjoy art. I just find it super relaxing and to get my mind off of other things that are going on

LSZ: What are your plans for after graduation?

SB: My plans after high school are to go to Johnson County Community College and become an EMT.

LSZ: What accomplishments that don’t involve athletics are you most proud of and why?

SB: One thing that I am proud of is helping others around me and doing what I can to help the people in the community through volunteer work.

LSZ: What do you think would be something that a lot of people don’t know about you?

SB: One thing that a lot of people might not know about me is that I really enjoy art. I enjoy creating art or just seeing what other people have done with their imagination.