No matter what sport she played at Yerington High School, Letitia Talbot always excelled. And she always made it look so easy.
Over the past four years, Talbot earned varsity letters in five different sports - basketball, soccer, track and field, softball, volleyball - plus she spent four years as a dance team member during the fall and winter. She also carried a 3.62 overall grade point average in the classroom.
She looked so natural, whether swinging a softball bat or going up for a 10-foot jump shot, but a lot of work went on behind the scenes to make it all happen. Yerington softball coach Rod Rundle saw it this spring when Talbot worked to make the conversion from outfield to shortstop.
"She'd be down there on a Saturday or Sunday evening, or late after practice on Tuesday, and her dad would be hitting grounders," Rundle said. "She's just a good kid and a great athlete."
Talbot made her biggest impact on a basketball court, where she played four varsity seasons and helped lead Yerington to 3A state tournament appearances in 1998 and 2000. This year, the 5-foot-9 senior forward averaged 18.4 points, nine rebounds and five assists for the Lions, who compiled a 22-8 overall record on their way to a berth in the state semifinals.
Just like the time she worked on handling ground balls, Talbot devoted considerable time to basketball when she drove to Reno twice a week during the fall of her junior year to work out with Matt Williams at Jam-on-It Academy.
"I learned a lot going up against players like Kate Smith (McQueen and now University of Nevada star)," Talbot said. "I went to a tournament in L.A., and it was like two totally different worlds."
She spoke in reference to the differences between large schools, where the majority of athletes specialize on one sport year-round, and small schools like Yerington, where the emphasis is more toward playing different sports year-round.
"I was basically introduced to that," Talbot said. "I don't like to focus on one sport. With me, I enjoy doing three sports. I enjoyed doing as much as I can do down here."
Talbot didn't miss a beat during this spring's softball season, earning first-team all-division and second-team all-state recognition while helping the Lions to a runner-up finish at the state tournament. She was part of a nucleus that compiled a 54-13 record over the past two years (27-7 this spring).
"That was a great time," Talbot said. "I thought we had shot at the (state) title. It was just too hard coming back after losing the first game."
The Lions lost their state opener to Spring Creek, 2-1 in eight innings, but then won four straight games to come back all the way through the losers bracket to reach the finals, where they lost again to Spring Creek, 5-1.
Talbot now plans to go on to the Chaminade University in Honolulu, although sports don't figure into her plans.
"I'm going into pre-law, it's just something I've always had an interest for," Talbot said.
"They do have softball and women's soccer teams, but I don't know if I want to play. I'll probably still stay involved with intramural sports."
Talbot ran track as a sophomore and her 4x400 relay team went on to place fourth at the state meet. She also played volleyball as a sophomore and soccer as a freshman.
As if that isn't enough, Talbot also works as a lifeguard in the summer and at a trophy shop in Yerington.
None of that ever seemed to show on the field, because Talbot made it all look so easy.
"This may sound silly, but she looks good when she strikes out," Rundle said. "She just has such a pretty swing."
