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Beyond the Bell
Real talk from real Patriots - Stories from Mount Pisgah Christian School
Beyond the Bell
What It Takes To Be an Elite Athlete
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In this episode, we sit down with two Mount Pisgah athletes competing at the state level—a sophomore cross country runner and a senior volleyball player committed to play in college—to talk about what it takes to perform at the highest level. From the daily discipline to handling pressure on the biggest stage, they break down the mindset, sacrifices, and habits that set elite athletes apart. We also dive into the college recruitment process and what younger athletes should know if they hope to compete beyond high school.
You're listening to Beyond the Bell, a student-produced podcast from Mount Pisca Christian School. I'm Lila Bell Much, and this podcast is a space where students, teachers, and the whole community can connect. Here, we believe every person has a story to tell, and we want to bring these stories to life. And what it means to be an elite athlete. I'm joined by two athletes who have put in the work, a state-level cross-country runner and a senior volleyball player committed to playing college. We're breaking down the mindset, habits, and discipline behind competing at the highest level. I loved having this conversation with these two athletes about perseverance, purpose, and the hard work that builds excellence. No matter where you are in your athletic journey, this episode should remind all of us that greatness is built through consistency, character, and trusting God with the outcome. Hey Abby, welcome to Beyond the Bell. I'm so happy that you're here. Thank you so much for having me. Okay, so I just want to get started by you talking a little bit about your athletic involvements at the school and a little bit about what you've done over the last couple of years to become such an elite athlete.
SPEAKER_00No, yeah, I've been doing track and cross country since fifth grade, and um for freshman cross-country and um sophomore cross-country, I made my made to state, and I went won the um JV area in eighth grade, and I went to state for track in the 3200 and placed ninth.
SPEAKER_02Those are some pretty impressive accomplishments for just being a sophomore, so yeah, that's exciting.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I also placed multiple times in the 1500 and 3200 for junior olympics, and actually, this is my first year. I've done indoor track, which was really exciting. That's so cool. And I also made to Nationals in seventh grade and I got to go to Oregon.
SPEAKER_02Hayward Field is really impressive, that's super fun. Did you have like a really good time? Yeah, it was really fun. And just a little bit about your athletic accomplishments. I remember you've won MVP twice since starting high school.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's been really cool. Like my whole team and all my coaches have helped me so much, and that's just helped me just improve a lot and to get MVP.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, cross country people think it's like very individual, but what's really cool about cross-country is that your team and the people you like just run with at practice and the people who are supporting you are really beneficial to your journey for sure. Just if you're by yourself, you're really not gonna accomplish as much. So but as you are, my sister. I have realized how humble you are with like all of your accomplishments, and you really don't brag or gloat about you winning MVP and you being really good as a sophomore. So you are obviously very humble with with having accomplished so much, so that's really cool to see.
SPEAKER_00I try not to because even though yeah, it's like exciting, there's like a I have like a big support system behind me helping me achieve all this, so I think it's just like really cool that attractive it's like a sport where it's just yourself, but also you also like you can have like a huge like support system like helping you out.
SPEAKER_02Okay, Abby, so as an elite athlete, if you had a meet on Saturday, what does your typical training week look like during the season?
SPEAKER_00So since I'm just um having my eyes set on running in college, there's certain things I need to do during the week to help me prepare to perform my best at meets. Um so I make sure to go to all um most of my school practices and helps me connect to my teammates and also just improve my distance and just talk to my coaches about my goals. And then I also make sure to incorporate my um club team major impact because they help me with my sporadic training, which is a very big part of a distance because you need to make sure that you have a good kick at the end of your race and also helps in my form. And then I also make sure that I have weight training in there because that's also very important. And I feel like sometimes you um people don't understand like you need to do weight training to help you improve your track um ability, so I feel like that's a very big um part, and obviously taking some rest days to make sure my body feels properly.
SPEAKER_02People don't understand, especially with distance running, like rest days are extremely important to prevent injury and just make sure you are able to perform like do you normally take a rest day like after a meet or something? No, yeah, yeah, like the day after a meet, like Sundays. And then you also you run a lot of distance, like long runs on the weekends, like even outside of practice.
SPEAKER_00No, yeah, I make sure to set a healthy goal for myself of the amount of mileage I need to do because it depends. Cause if I have um a meet the day um the next day after practice, I make sure that practice is to do like a like a chill run to make sure our body doesn't get injured and make sure that I'm in a good place and mindset going into the meet.
SPEAKER_02And I definitely like this interrupting you, like sometimes just running a lot of miles isn't always the answer. Like, as you've had to discover, like you need to do a little bit of sprinting, a little bit of weight training, and obviously still hitting a lot of mileage to make sure you're performing at the best you can. So that's really cool. Okay, so we talked a lot about what your training looks like, and obviously you've received a lot of accolades, you have a lot of medals, you're MVP, and I think people know that about you. But then also I think people don't always realize that so much work goes in behind the scenes and so many sacrifices are made that people you don't see when you initially just see your results on race day or when people hear about you in your running. So, would you like to talk about a little bit about your sacrifices and stuff?
SPEAKER_00No, yeah, for sure. I mean there's lots that go into running. Like, sometimes, like especially this year, I've had to be more like conscious about my food choices. So, like, sometimes when I'm about to go to a football game with my friends and they're having pizza or like chicken wings, I love wings. She loves wings. I have to have pasta and stuff because I know it's not good for me to have a lot of junk food. Or on Halloween, af um the night after Halloween we had state, so I couldn't have any candy or anything, and I had to I couldn't have a sleepover or anything because I had to make sure that I was um prepping my body well for the meat.
SPEAKER_02I know. No Halloween candy was kind of sad, but I I mean it paid off, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then chicken wings kind of hit after chicken wings hit after I erased it.
SPEAKER_00I can have them after the meat.
SPEAKER_02That's good. But yeah, I think sacrifices are really important to acknowledge when talking like with elite athletes because I think if we're talking like to younger athletes, I don't think younger athletes who want to compete at a really elite level, I don't think they initially realize like really how much sacrifice really goes into it, especially once you get to high school and you have things like like really harsh academics and like things start really building up with like academics and stuff.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, for sure. Sometimes I have double practice days and all I want to do after is just sleep or have dinner and like take a shower, but I really just have to do homework and study, so that's really hard because it just is so tiring on my body, and I just feel like I can't do it, but I have to remind myself that it's all gonna pay off at the end.
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm. And another thing I also wanted to touch on is just balancing. You talked about balancing athletics with your academics, and like I've seen you, you're really good about like talking to your teachers, like if you have to miss for a meet or something, like you're really good with talking with them to make sure you're like making up all of your work, which is like something that's really important when you're an athlete and have so many things happening in your mind. But another thing I think is really important to acknowledge is like the balancing your athletics with not only academics but also with your faith. So obviously your faith has to be really strong if you're an athlete and you just kind of have to I know for me, like trusting in God is like something that's very important when trying to figure out like how you're gonna achieve your goals.
SPEAKER_00So No, yeah, for sure. No, definitely faith plays a big part in my running career so far. Um, like for example, like when I'm running a race and my body just feels like it's about to give out on me, and I feel like I can't reach a goal that I want to reach, and I my mind just kind of spirals out of control. I make sure just to remind myself that if it's all gonna pay out at the end and God has my side, and just to make sure, like just to remind myself that everything happens for a reason and that I can't give up yet and that I have a lot of time and not to pressure myself because I always see one of the biggest things for me is I always like I love Instagram and like social media and stuff, but sometimes like when I go on there I see everyone, all these runners with fast times and like stuff that I don't have yet. So it's definitely hard because like it makes my mind go into all these different questions, like why am I not good enough, or like why haven't I why is this person who is younger than me have a better time than me? Or just like stuff like that. So it definitely it's hard, you it's hard, but you have to trust the process.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, comparison really can like be really hard, especially with social media and stuff, but like having a really strong faith is like a way to like ground yourself and like looking for the positive. And one thing I really love that we do in cross country is we always do a group prayer before we run a race, and we always like someone will say a different one every single time, and it'll really like it just really helps to like ground the team and like get us ready to or compete at our best. So I really like that part of the game or race day.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it helps us all come together.
SPEAKER_02Okay, so let's talk a little bit about what's gonna happen when your sport goes beyond high school. So I know obviously you have your eyes set on the future of potentially running in college, which is really exciting.
SPEAKER_00No, yeah, for sure. I've definitely been this year really starting to think about my plans going into um for college, and I think it's really important to also be realistic about your goals. So, for example, this year I started me and my major impact coach started talking about college, and she's been a very big important part of the process because she's been hyping me up, saying that nothing's too big or little to achieve, and nothing is too impossible. But I also like to be realistic about my goals, so I've made a spreadsheet about the different times or schools I'm interested in going to, so that's been helpful to show me that I can achieve these different aspects of the sport. So I'm excited to see where that like leads me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, you're very organized, and you're also like I've never met someone who's like so in the know about like your sport, like you're you know everybody in it, like you know all of your competitors, and you're even like friends with some people. You are always reposting things on social media, like you seem to know so much about your sport.
SPEAKER_00No, yeah, the one thing that's cool about cross country and track is that pretty much everyone knows everyone. So I think that's really nice. Like all the girls I run against, they're all so sweet and nice, and it's nice because even though like we're doing such a hard thing on our bodies and we're doing such a hard thing like mentally, we all just hype each other up and we're like, You got this, let's pace each other. Like, like yesterday at a race and this one girl we were talking about our goal, and we're like, Oh, do you wanna pace each other? Like, yeah, and that was like really cool because like it's just nice to know that you're not alone in such a hard sport.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I love our friends we've made from cross country, especially like ones at other schools, and that leads me into my very last little question for you, which I just wanted to talk about since it is March's women's history month, and I think this episode's gonna be so important because we're really focusing on female athletes and how important it is to praise and celebrate female athletes. So I think I already know your answer, but who is a female athlete that you look up to and why?
SPEAKER_00No, yeah, for sure. Um, so I definitely one big part of what I do is like to hike to hype myself up. I've watched like a bunch of college races and just show that like it is possible what I can do. So um definitely my favorite like female athlete is Parker Valby. Parker Valby Because she just reminds me a lot about myself, like she's very girly and cute and she wait tell them a little about who's Parker Valby. So she um is a runner that I used to run at University of Florida, and she was like, even though she had all this pressure on her to be the best, and she accomplished so much, she was never not herself, which I think is really inspiring because it shows and she also showed like a lot about like what it took to get there. So I think it's really cool that she stayed true to herself and her values. And it's really cool watching that she um she's like a pro athlete now, so it's really cool. And I even got to get her spikes.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, spikes with New Balance, yeah.
SPEAKER_00It was really cool.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, she did a collab with New Balance and has these super cute, like light pink spikes that Abby has.
SPEAKER_00It's really cool. I know when I got the spikes, I like tried them on for the first time and I was like, these are the best. And they even she even wrote a note on the box, and it's really cool. I like to read it sometimes and just like hypes me up.
SPEAKER_02Well, Abby, thank you so much for being on Beyond the Bell, and thank you for sharing a little bit about your athletic journey and your goals for yourself. And I hope younger athletes watch this and feel inspired by your journey. And obviously, as your big sister, I wish you nothing but the best for the future and that you achieve all the goals you want to achieve because you work so hard. Yes, thank you for having me. That was such a great look into what it takes to compete at the state level and cross-country, the discipline, consistency, and mental toughness behind the scenes. But elite performance looks different in every sport. So, next, I'm excited to shift our focus as we hear from another Mount Pisca athlete who has also competed at the highest level. Let's dive into my conversation with senior volleyball player Reagan Frazetta, who is preparing to take her game to the collegiate level. Hey Reagan, welcome to Beyond the Bell. I'm so happy that you're here. Hello, thank you so much for inviting me. So I just wanted to get started by you talking a little bit about your athletic successes and achievements, and just a little bit about how you've gotten to the level that you've gotten to.
SPEAKER_01Yes, so let's see, I've been playing volleyball for like eight years, I think, so far. Um when I was younger, I started off a whim and I just kind of fell in love with it. Um now I, you know, in high school, we've I've been to state two times, I've been uh state runner-up once, one state once, and I've been the final four. I think the the oh my gosh. Um the shortest our season has gone is to sweet 16, which is this year. That's so impressive.
SPEAKER_02Thank you. I know. And volleyball season's very long too. Y'all play fall sports or so long, so that's obviously I mean, for that being a short season, that's a very long season. So I the first question I want to ask you is just what does a typical training week look like for you during like your busiest time of year, which I think is school season?
SPEAKER_01Probably. Yeah. Well, especially towards the end of school season because then club starts up, so then I'm balancing club and then school practices, and it's just a lot of late nights. Um, usually club is three practices per week, so along with like the everyday practice of school, I have usually a practice for club that's like from 7:30 to like 9.30, 10. Um, but yeah, usually that's only like for two months, so it's not too bad.
SPEAKER_02And so you play like school games during the week and then like club tournaments and stuff are on the weekends? Yes. Woo! Girl, you never take a break. Okay, um, so I also obviously you're on this podcast because you are committed to play volleyball in college, which is so exciting. And so something I really thought was interesting was I wanted to know when did you realize that like volleyball wasn't just like your after school commitment or something to put on your college resume, like it was something you really wanted to keep pursuing like outside of high school.
SPEAKER_01Um, it was definitely all the people I met and the coaches and how like I've developed in the sport. Like it means so much to me now that I couldn't imagine not doing it. Um, it's like, I don't know, I I say it's like half of my life, because it really is. Like the people I meet through it, the competitive I get from it, it's just so like I don't know, like I've never experienced it anywhere else, and I just I knew I couldn't, like.
SPEAKER_02That's so special to find something you're so passionate about, like through sports and like letting that something that was so important to you in high school, like really carry or help you with that transition into college and really like become your main focus. So that's very special. Okay, so obviously people know what an elite athlete you are from just your results and from obviously like you're you committing to play in college, everyone knows that you're such a great volleyball player, but I think it's super important to talk about obviously we know your intense training behind the scenes, but also just I don't think people always realize like the mental stuff that goes on behind the scenes of being an elite athlete. So, would you talk a little bit about how you've learned to like handle pressure and just nerves performing at such a high level in the sport?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, well, I think what's great about volleyball is that it's uh you know it's a team sport, so you know, there's six players, so I always know at the end of the day, like I can fall back on my teammates or they help me keep me more confident. And I also remember the people whoever were playing is probably as nervous as I am. And that's kind of what makes me like I don't want to get capitalized on my nervousness, I want to capitalize on their nervousness. So it really helps me just keep that mindset of just like staying focused, staying calm, and performing.
SPEAKER_02I think that's so great because I think a lot of people, especially like in high school, people who think they want to play at the college level, they like sometimes just nerves and pressure can become so big that it takes like away from like your love of the sport, which is that's so great that you haven't like experienced that because that really can just like kind of take your love for the sport and like lead to burnout. So, but I mean, have you experienced moments when you kind of just like hit a wall and like didn't really know you how you were gonna like bounce back from that?
SPEAKER_01Yes, definitely. Um, from my freshman to sophomore year, just because there was a big transition, like I wasn't new anymore. Um, and so that kind of left me with a new sense of responsibility, like I'd have to help the freshman out or have to like carry more weight, and that like hit my confidence a lot because I didn't know if I was ready for that. Um, but really overall, it's just like just flipping your mindset, just saying, Oh, I have to do this, but instead saying like I get to do this, I get to do this, yeah. I choose to.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, choosing gratitude over like feeling nervous or like choosing to succumb to like that pressure, and like obviously that's how you stay in love with your sport, which is so beautiful. Okay, Reagan, part of why this conversation is so exciting is because we were able to celebrate you committing to Hendrix College, which is such an amazing accomplishment. And so, obviously, you had to go through a really intense recruitment process, and like just being your friend, I know that really that was intense for you. So, what does the college recruitment process actually look like and what surprised you the most about it that or something you didn't expect to come from it?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, it's the the college recruitment is so stressful. I started in eighth grade, which now I'm looking back is like insane. That's crazy. Um gosh, yeah, no, it was horrible. Especially with like I wasn't I always I always knew I didn't want to go D1 or D2, like I always wanted to go D3 because I wanted academics to be my forefront. Um and so I mean even these D3 colleges that aren't rigorous, like it still requires a lot of your time, a lot of emailing. I didn't expect as many calls as I had. I had like at least over 10 calls with different colleges of all kinds. Um, and I mean how casual it is sometimes. Like you think like this is like gonna be a job interview, but it's actually just like you getting to know this coach as a person. And if you want to spend four years with them, or if you're just like nah, like I we're we're not meshing, you know.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I think just I think that obviously it's really cool to like just not have it be like, oh, I'm so nervous about this interview or anything, but it's really just like a conversation, like you really gotta feel it out to like find your place, which I'm so happy that you were able to find that with Hendrix. That's so awesome. Okay, so kind of to start wrapping this up, obviously you can be you're such an inspiration to I guarantee so many younger volleyball players at this school. And so if like a middle school or JV athlete is listening to this conversation right now and wants to make it to state someday, what would you tell them?
SPEAKER_01Um, I definitely tell them you have to put in the work, like there's no avoiding work, obviously. Yeah. But to like find the little joys in the work you do, like even if that day you wake up and you're sore and you hate volleyball the bad day, like look at your shoes, be like, I love how my shoes look. Oh hey, look, the sky is super, I can't wait to walk out of practice and see the sky. Um, all little things like that will make just like like a very like bad day or tough day seem like a little lighter. Like it just puts a little weight off your shoulder.
SPEAKER_02That's so beautiful, I love that. Okay, so as it's currently Women's History Month, and I'm talking to two amazing female athletes. I just wanted to know who's a female athlete that you look up to and why.
SPEAKER_01Um oh my gosh. So there's just a volleyball player called Joe Gellen. She um, I think it's in professional league right now. She played for Arkansas, and I watched her throughout her whole entire college career. She's five, she's shorter. She's like five nine to five seven. Yeah. Like you don't see that from an outside hitter at all. She's an outside. And just her lack of hype or the way she made up for it, just really inspired me. Especially like little eighth grade me looking at her and I'm like, oh, like, I know I'm not gonna be tall, and that tall height is very valuable to volleyball. Oh, yeah. So it just yeah, just seeing her, like, I don't know, like being able to like perform at a high level while still being her height and still being a fierce competitor, just like really just inspired me. I was like, wow, like I could perform like that.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for being in the podcast, Reagan. I love being able to talk to you, and I wish you nothing but the best in college and playing volleyball, and I hope you continue to love it. And thank you. Thank you for inviting me. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to sit down with these athletes and to hear what really goes into competing at the state level. It was powerful to listen to the discipline, resilience, and faith behind their success. Not just the performances people see on race day or game day, but the daily habits and sacrifices that built those moments. Whether you're already competing at a high level or just beginning your journey, I hope this episode encourages you to commit to the process, embrace the work, and trust that the effort you put in. Today can shape the athlete and person you're becoming. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow us on Spotify Podcasts. And if you have an idea for a future episode, send us a message on Instagram at MPCS Liberty Bell. Thanks for listening to Beyond the Bell, and we'll see you soon.