To become a better athlete, one can spend countless hours working on their craft. Hitting a baseball, shooting a free throw or driving a golf ball can all be improved by hard work in the off-season.

But for Kayla Grable, she has the intangible. The one thing that opponents can’t contain is the one thing that separates her from most of the other athletes in the Cross County Conference...speed.

Grable, a senior at Bethel, excels in three sports and as the fall approaches, she is preparing for the favorite of her three sports...soccer.

“It is my favorite sport,” Grable said. “I play defense and last year I scored my first high school goal. It was the most exciting feeling and it probably was the highlight of my high school career.”

Grable was honored on the soccer field as a special mention player in the conference, and last season, was also named to the second-team all-area for soccer.

Grable also plays on the Warriors Soccer Club, one of the most prestigious club teams in Ohio. “I have played for them for ten years,” she said, as has since quit playing for the club as she is now focusing more on her various high school sports.

The talented athlete credits watching her brothers play sports, which influenced her to become an athlete.

In the winter, Grable is a key part of the recent turnaround of the Bees program. She plays the guard position for Mark Mays, and he has seen her game improve as the Bees won double figure games last year for the first time in several years.

“She had good court awareness for the ball,” Bethel basketball coach Mark Mays said. “She knows what the other team is trying to do and you can’t teach that.”

“She has a feel for it on the court. Kayla is a floor leader for us and you have to be aware where she is.”

Mays is counting on his point guard to lead the Bees to another great season.

“One thing she does is get the ball to the players we need to get it to, it’s not about scoring” Mays said. “In June, she has done a lot better with that.”

“Kayla has tried to make things happen and is working hard.”

Grable has big goals for her senior season, including bringing home the hardware for the Bees.

“One of my biggest goals in soccer this year is to win the CCC,” she said. “Last year we were runner-up but this year I want us to win it all.”

Outside of sports, Grable is in the marching band, is a member of the student council and prom committee.