Learning from her family helps Taylor both in sports and in life

She’s a multi-sport athlete and a decorated one at that.

Taylor Elliott, recently named the Percy Bedford Award winner as Sault Ste. Marie’s top female high school athlete, has earned plenty of honours in her years at Korah.

Recently, SooToday caught up with her for our latest Q&A session.

Q: What was your first sports memory?

TE: When my parents were my coaches for timbits soccer.

Q: What’s a sport that you’re interested in that someone wouldn’t expect?

TE: I was given the opportunity to represent my school for basketball, volleyball, and soccer but I really do enjoy soccer quite a bit. It’s more of me being able to just run. I’m not a runner and people know that I do not run and don’t enjoy running whatsoever but I find (soccer) is one of the best sports I’ve played. It leaves my mind at ease.

Q: Who are three people, dead or alive, that you would like to have dinner with and why?

TE: My grandparents that have passed away. My grandma and grampa Elliot.

(For the third), probably my cousin Brad, who I never got to meet before. He passed away before I was born. He was a big athlete.

They were all into athletics. My grandparents just because of their grandchildren and Brad because he was just built to be an athlete.

Q: Aside from something in sports, what would be a non-sports related career that you could be interested in?

TE: A lawyer or police foundations. Something like that.

Becoming a cop, you have to prove that you’re able-bodied and capable to keep crime out of the city.

With a lawyer, I would love to be able to defence or go on the offence of whatever type of thing that goes on in life and I think it would be cool to see it through and be able to help someone in that situation and create a better environment for them.

Q: Who is the one person, dead or alive, that you admire most?

TE: There are two.

My namesake. I was named after my great grandmother. Her name was Athelda Minetta Taylor and my mom always knew she was going to name me after one of those three names.

And then my grandma Elliott. I admired her most. Not because of sports. She wasn’t the biggest athlete. She knew that love meant everything. She respected everyone in the highest degree. And that’s something that I admired and it inspired me.

Q: If you could be the NBA commissioner for one day, what’s one change you would make to the sport?

TE: For the NBA, definitely put girls on the teams so we can kick the boys’ butt.

One change I would make for sure, it would be the respect that the players have for the referees and the coaches. I would make it that if they didn’t, they would be off the team in a minute. That’s something that my grandma taught me. Respect is something that’s given, it’s not taken. If the players don’t respect them, they wouldn’t be given a second chance.

Q: What’s the most important life lesson you have learned so far?

TE: Be a good person.

That too, I made a speech for the Percy Bedford Award, which I was so honoured to win, and those were the lessons that both my mom and my dad taught me that being a good person comes before everything.

No matter if you’re losing or if you’re winning, being a good person and striving to do your best is something that I should be living by.

Q: What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?

TE: Maybe that I show emotion and have respect for absolutely everyone that I’ve played against, that’s ever coached against me, that’s ever refereed (my games).

I just full out have respect for every player in every sport, no matter what the situation is.

Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

TE: The power to help people. Something to do with everyone else that is having problems because I know that my problems will never match up to some other people’s problems in the world.

I know that there are other things going on that are much worse than the situation I’m in.

Q: You’re stranded on an island, what three things would you bring with you?

TE: My dad has told me this millions of times.

My dad has told me this so many times and I forget (what he's said).

My dad. I would bring him.

A knife and a flare gun.