Alberton player plans to stay close to home

ALBERTON – With the final game of the volleyball season behind her, senior Hailie Bahm has begun to look toward basketball season and graduation.

A multigenerational native of Montana, Bahm grew up in Missoula and Frenchtown before her family moved to Alberton while she was in fourth grade. She said her mother grew up in the community, though. Shortly after the move, Bahm became involved in school sports.

Like many of her teammates, Bahm began playing volleyball in fifth grade. However, she was unable to play in the 2012 season due to illness. She said she was determined to play this year because she wanted to finish out her senior year on the school’s athletics teams.

Over the course of her time on the team, Bahm saw a lot of improvements in the Lady Panthers.

“I think we improved a lot from last year and previous years,” said Bahm. “We worked together a lot better.”

Bahm said she is good friends with most of the team, regardless of age or grade. She said she enjoys spending time with everyone on the team. When new members join the team, Bahm reaches out to get to know them.

While there are always some new additions, Bahm said she has mostly played with the same girls her entire high school career. The only new members the team saw this year were two freshmen, otherwise everyone has been on the team before.

“I’ve never played with [freshmen], so that was very interesting,” she said.

The new girls were not a big problem for Bahm. Because of how close the Alberton community is, it was easier to incorporate the new girls into the team than it might be in a bigger community. Bahm said it is Alberton’s way to bring in new people and see what can be brought to the table.

Bahm is excited to graduate and has most of her post graduate plans figured out. However, she added she was nervous for the future.

“It’s pretty nerve wracking to realize we’re almost [done] now,” said Bahm.

Bahm is planning to attend Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell and wants to major as a physical therapy assistant with a minor in physical therapy. She does not have any plans for after college, but would like to live in Missoula or Frenchtown, where she will be close to home.

While she will miss Alberton once she moves away, Bahm said she will be constantly reminded of it, so she will always feel close to home. She will also miss her friends on the volleyball team.

She said this volleyball season has been the most fun for her. Even in college and beyond, she will remember her time on the volleyball team fondly.

Bahm will be on the girl’s basketball team for the winter season. She said the team would mostly be the same as the volleyball team. According to Bahm, the new additions will be girls who return to the sport from last year, girls who are new to the community and freshman.

She also plans to play tennis in the spring 2014 season.