“Passionate.” That’s the word used to describe White County High School senior Addison Dodgen, a member of the Warriorette basketball and golf teams.
“Addison’s a witty kid. She likes to have fun. She’s the energizer for us. She brings a lot of vocals to the team and a lot of support to her teammates,” Warriorette basketball coach Michael Dodgen said. “She does a really good job of being that person for us every night.”
The dynamics between athlete and coach are always a complex one, but, with Dodgen, being coached by her dad adds a little something else to the equation.
“It’s definitely challenging at times,” she admitted. “He expects a lot of me, but he does all of his players. But it’s also a lot of fun – not everyone can say they get to play for their dad. Getting all this bonus time with him is something I won’t take for granted.”
As for Coach Dodgen, he agreed that sharing the game of basketball with his daughter has created memories that he holds close but also said that he makes sure to let her lead in the off-the-court part of their relationship.
“I try not to talk about basketball when we leave the gym, unless she brings it up of course,” he said. “That’s family time. And having that boundary has helped make sure that she gets the best version of me in both worlds.”
Dodgen’s basketball career has been one that has been full of ups and downs. She suffered a knee injury at the end of her freshman season and has been on the sidelines since.
“She was a big part of our team as a leader on the sideline while she couldn’t play, and now I’m hoping to see her do that on and off the floor this year,” the Warriorette coach said. “She has a role to fill for us in the post position; when her number is called, she needs to be ready to be a positive force on the court.”
Dodgen is ready for the challenge. Basketball has given her plenty of experiences and memories, but it has also taught her some lessons.
“People want you to succeed, there’s people in your life who want what’s best for you,” she said.
Dodgen said knowing that her teammates and coaches, including her dad, have always had her best interests in mind make overcoming obstacles – like season ending injuries – easier.
“My dad is hard on me, he’s hard on our team,” Dodgen said. “But it’s just because he wants us to succeed; he knows what we’re capable of. So, every day that he pushes us, it’s just because he wants what’s best for us. If I’m in the game, then that’s because my coaches believe it’s what’s best for the team, and they believe I am up to the task. And I know my teammates will be there wanting me to succeed, too.”
Dodgen said knowing the people in your life want you to succeed goes beyond the basketball court. She said the faculty at White County High School has built her up and helped her succeed academically.
“I take school very seriously, my grades are important to me,” she said. “Knowing that there are people put here because they want me to do well is a huge boost. The mental discipline I learned from golf has been a big part of my academic success as well.”
Dodgen said that golf, a sport she has played since middle school, has taught her to take deep breaths, let things go, and focus on the goal.
“When you hit a bad shot, you don’t have a teammate there to make it up or a coach encouraging you, so you have to be in a really good mental state to be successful on the course,” Dodgen, who qualified for the Regional Tournament throughout her high school career, said. “Golf has really taught me how to control my emotions and calm myself down. It’s taught me how to let things go and focus on what steps I can take to improve myself and ignore the things I can’t control.”
Those lessons will be helpful in Dodgen’s near future. The soon-to-be graduate has aspirations of becoming a labor and delivery nurse, although she said she wasn’t set on a specific college program.
“Wherever will give me a good education and prepare me for my career, that’s where I’m headed,” she said practically. “Of course, if I get the opportunity to play either basketball or golf, I’m definitely going to consider it, but I’m an education-first type of person.”
When high school is over, Dodgen is going to take a whole lot of memories out of the gym with her, but there is one that will always stay her favorite.
“Watching my teammates win that regional championship game in overtime against Livingston,” she said without a moment’s hesitation. “Getting to have substate at home after losing at the buzzer on the road the year before. So, knowing what it was like to lose and wanting to shed that feeling. To get to play that substate game in front of our fans. That meant so much to us, to my dad, to the community. So that – seeing how much my dad’s hard work paid off, that’s the memory that’s going to last.”
And to those coming to White County High School as she’s leaving, Dodgen has one piece of advice.
“You have a high school full of teachers who love you. They want you to succeed. They are going to push you to become your best,” she said. “Trust them. Trust yourself. And enjoy the ride.”
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