VINEMONT, Ala. — Vinemont senior Aubrey Sandlin collected her diploma in May, and in this interview, she shared some of her favorite sports memories from playing volleyball and basketball alongside her teammates and friends.
“My favorite volleyball memories from my 10th grade years were when we got runner-up in the county tournament and all the bus rides we had. My favorite memories from my senior year were when we won the Hanceville Tournament with coach Bobby Daniels, winning the area championship, finishing 49-12 on the season, and just making memories with all of my friends on the court and just being able to play with my other seniors my whole life and the younger girls being our best sister friends. In basketball, I just enjoyed all the memories I made with the girls on the bus rides and being on the court with them,” Aubrey said. “It was always challenging but in a good way. Having so many athletes that were really good, it made you work for everything, and there was good competition to go against at practice for everyone to better themselves. We all are close, so it was fun being able to play with your best friends and girls that felt like sisters. What I learned from them is that when they say, ‘One team, one family’, your team really is your family, and you do have to give each other respect on the court. I learned that with being so close to the younger ones, they really do look up to the older ones. Cheering each other on and pushing your teammate will really make a difference in the end. We are all each other’s support system in the locker room during that season and being able to be so close and have a great bond makes the sport so much better. They taught us that no matter what, we will always be family and for us to be the right example they look up to.”
She took away so much from some amazing coaches during her career, and she will deeply miss playing sports at Vinemont.
“It was great. There were times when we thought it was going to be the death of us, but every coach taught us something in some type of way. We all have a memory with that coach that we will remember, no matter what. They definitely pushed us, no matter what, and they never gave us any slack, which is what we needed. I respect all the coaches for pushing us until we couldn’t anymore. They taught us that nothing in life will ever be handed to us, that we have to put the work in to prove ourselves, and no off days does pay off. All the tears and I give up thinking I couldn’t do it anymore all paid off in the end to be the successful player I ended up becoming and have the years we had,” Sandlin said. “I will always remember the players and the tough times we had, and we ended up pushing through. I will also remember the good memories we made on and off the court. We all have a bond that I will never forget.”
Aubrey made so many amazing high school memories during her years there, and Vinemont will always be family to her.
“My favorite memories were going to all the football, volleyball, basketball, and baseball games with all of my friends and having them in my classes, when we were in coach Drummond’s class, always picking on him and him goofing off with us, and going to prom with friends, senior homecoming, and all the senior activities we did together,” she said. “What made Vinemont a special place to go was the teachers. They all treated us like their own kid, and I will forever be grateful to have gone to Vinemont and be taught by all of the teachers I had. It’s even better when my family teaches there too. Having my uncle as my vice principal made me feel much safer at school. The teachers always made me feel like I could go talk to any of them if I ever needed to. They always reminded us that we will succeed in life and for us to always follow our dreams. And going to a small school where everyone knows everyone, that was the school where I met my forever family of friends. At Vinemont, we are all one family.”
She will remember and miss so much about being an Eagle and participating in the FCCLA and the FFA were valuable experiences for her as well.
“I will remember all of the friendships I made and all of the wonderful memories I made from kindergarten-12th grade. I will remember all of the love that Vinemont really has for each other and the amazing staff that they have. I will miss all of the friends, all of the teachers, all the times walking in the hallways, making silly faces or just meeting them to talk in the hallways. Being in the FCCLA was great. We went on a lot of fun field trips, and we had a lot of fun being able to go to the nursing home and giving them bags of goodies and cards. We loved seeing them smile, and they were happy that someone came to see them. Being in the FCA was great as well. It was amazing being able to hear the Word before school and being able to see other classmates in the room before school to make time for God to lead them,” Sandlin said. “It really does go by fast. Soak up every minute of it. There will be hard days, but don’t let those hard days make you think high school is the worst. Make those memories with your friends, step out of your comfort zone, go do all of the silly games, and always be there for each other.”
Being a role model and an inspiration to younger kids is important to Aubrey and her relationship with God has played an enormous role in helping her be the person that she is today.
“It is very important. I’ve always been told that younger kids always look up to the older people, no matter what. Little kids see a lot of things we do and don’t even realize what we did right in front of them. I know what’s right from wrong, and I think it’s very important to show younger kids how you should act and be. Coaching for NC Premier showed me that younger girls do look up to me, and I need to set an example on how to be when I’m around them. Seeing all the kids’ eyes open wide when we walked through the school one last time showed me that they were all looking up to us and are wanting to be that senior,” Aubrey said. “God has played a huge part in my life in so many ways. I have always tried to be independent and do anything on my own, until I realized I can’t do it all by myself anymore. I got to lay it all down at God’s feet, and let His timing be my timing. It’s all God’s timing. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13: ‘I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.’ That verse means everything to me. With Him, anything is possible. That doesn’t mean I won’t go through hard times, but that means I will never fail and be beat up, because I have Christ with me by my side. As long as I have Him by my side, all things are possible.”
Copyright 2025 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
