By Stacy Case
Blake Birkins exemplifies the true meaning of a student-athlete and is in the midst of becoming a hometown role model.
The humble Parkland resident has done exceptional in the classroom as well as on the field/court, and was recently recognized for such accolades at the Westglades Middle School sports banquet a few weeks ago.
He was unanimously named ‘male athlete of the year’ in addition to earning the title of ‘male scholar athlete of the year’ as an eighth grader at WMS.
“It felt really good to get those awards because it showed me that all my hard work over the past three years and even before middle school paid off,” says Blake, who was also a member of the National Junior Honor Society. And as neither of these highly-coveted accomplishments are a coincidence, Blake knows what it takes to get the job done each day.
“His work ethic with everything he does is just amazing,” says his mother Lauren, of the recent eighth-grade graduate. “He works very hard and does well.” Blake began his passion for sports early on during his elementary school years at Riverglades in Parkland when he showed signs of excellence in math and started earning perfect scores on standardized testing. He commingled his classroom success with that of soccer as a midfielder, volleyball up front and basketball as a power forward at such an early age that his performances began to separate him from his peers.
Still, Blake remains level-headed.
“He gives 110 percent in everything he does, even if it’s something he may not want to do at that moment,” adds Lauren, who credits some of Blake’s math ability to his paternal grandfather who earned his Masters Degree in math. “He’s a leader and is very respectful, and has a nice combination of great personality traits and athleticism.” She says these awards were the perfect boost of self-confidence for Blake to get just before he heads into the next phase of his life.
But Blake is not always about business… sometimes he finds time to play video games with his friends.
During this summer, he will be preparing for his high school years; where he is taking his academic talent to the Saint Andrews School in Boca. His freshmen year will start with Advanced Placement calculus, which is three years ahead of the average student, along with his athleticism on the basketball court and football field. In order to enroll in such accelerated courses, Blake will be taking the required Bible study classes this summer in order to free up his class schedule during the school year.
He is also preparing to play in a national tournament early this month for his travel basketball team, the Wellington Wolves.
Lauren is confident that Blake’s goals won’t waver during the transition from one stage of life to his next. In fact, they seem consistent with those that put him on a pedestal in middle school. Blake concludes our interview with, “I’m looking to do my best in school to achieve straight ‘A’s again in my classes, and I’d like to play basketball, football and possibly baseball.” Certain this isn’t the last we’ll hear from Blake Birkins, we offer our sincerest congratulations to a dedicated and focused young man!
