DEPTFORD — One sport was never enough for Natalia Barrera.
The Gloucester Catholic senior is the rarest of rarities in high school sports. She’s a four-sport athlete.
Barrera accomplished that feat thanks to a once-in-a-century change to the high school schedule last year because of COVID-19. In order to allow students to have a semblance of a high school sports season, the athletic year was broken down into four seasons. Barrera was able to squeeze soccer, volleyball, basketball and lacrosse into her schedule.
“It was awesome,” Barrera said. “I had my soccer season, which was a little bit short, then went straight to volleyball and straight to basketball and then I was here.”
Soccer and volleyball returned to the traditional fall season this year. Barrera chose volleyball for her senior year.
“I mean, I really love both,” Barrera said. “I played soccer when I was young, but I want to try everything. I’m always trying to stay active. It’s just fun for me. I need something to do.”
That imperative is exactly how Barerra found herself in a kilt on a lacrosse field.
“I started playing my freshman year,” Barrera said. “I didn’t play a spring sport so I came to GC excited to play a new sport. I fell in love with it right away. I played basketball all my life. I knew when I stepped on this field, that this is what I want to do for a long time.”
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Soccer and basketball are perfect complements to lacrosse, which combines elements of both sports. Coach Liz Amorsi was more than happy to let Barrera learn on the fly.
“That is actually the best part of being coach, seeing someone that has never played the game before and has excelled so much in it,” Amorsi said. “I myself was like that I had never played the game then once I played the game, I was able to go to college and play. To see other players, especially Natalia, do that is just awesome.”
Barrera hasn’t settled on a college choice just yet. Her twin sister, Angelina, will play basketball at Mercy college. Her twin has soccer, tennis and softball on her resume, but she didn’t have a chance to play all four in the same season.
A dynamic duo on the court playing next to each other, they use the fall and spring to expand their horizons.
“Me and my sister have just always been into sports,” Barrera said. “It keeps me, keeps us really focused. We’re always busy, never sitting down doing nothing. It’s been awesome.”
The sisters are close, which is not surprising, and fit together perfectly on the basketball court. Their choices off the court hint at their future. They’re preparing for the day when their paths will split.
“It’s all good,” Bareera said. “We share a car right now, so that’s kind of hard sometimes. You know, we need space sometimes. We need to try different things.
“We’re with each other all the time. We have the same friends. I love being home with her my entire life but I think it’s time for us to try it on our own.”
Tom Rimback, sports reporter
Tom Rimback grew up reading the Burlington County Times and Courier Post sports sections and began writing for the BCT in 1996. He has covered everything from Super Bowls and Final Fours to Tri-County Swimming but he’s happiest on a sideline interviewing South Jersey scholastic athletes for the Burlington County Times, the Courier Post and The Daily Journal. Follow him on twitter @RimbackBCT. Email him with story ideas at [email protected] and, most importantly, support local journalism with a subscription.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Gloucester Catholic senior Natalia Barrera collects 12 varsity letters
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