Meet the Athlete: Garret Piechowski

What grade are you in?

12.

What town do you live in, and which school do you attend?

Albert Lea, Albert Lea High School.

Who is your immediate family?

Dad, Mike; mom, Val; sister, Emma.

Which sports do you play?

Baseball, basketball and football.

What is your favorite part of playing your sport?

Probably getting to know
everyone and building those
relationships. You meet different people in every sport and you get to know their stories more.

What has playing that sport taught you?

Coach has been teaching us a lot of life values, helping us become better men. Not just sports wise, but when we move on too.

What’s your favorite sports memory?

Winning state baseball my first year.

Which game was your favorite to play in this year?

Faribault. We had a big crowd that night and it was Ryan Moore night and team wise, we
probably played our best game of the season.

How did you get started in your sport?

I was hanging  out with my best friend and he had to go to basketball practice. I still had time to sign up, so I did and I fell in love with the sport.

What sports did your family members play?

My dad played basketball, football, wrestling and baseball.

What are your sports-related achievements?

Lettering in all of the sports I play.

What are your sports-related goals?

To be the best I can be in that sport and to make my teammates better, not just focus on myself.

Who is your favorite professional athlete? Why?

I would have to say Derek Jeter. Just because he was the team-first kind of guy. He didn’t focus on himself. He would always work on getting the team better, then outside of practice, he would work on himself.

What are your college plans? Major?

This upcoming year, I plan to stay in town and go to Riverland and get my generals done. After that I plan to go to Iowa State for mechanical engineering.

What is your favorite school subject?

Math because it just comes natural to me.

Who is your favorite teacher?

Maria Olson, she was my fourth- and fifth-grade teacher. She was a fun teacher and she made class fun.

What are your hobbies?

Outside of sports, I usually try to focus on spending time with my family and friends, and I guess homework.

What is your dream job?

To follow in my uncle’s footsteps and work at Polaris. I would like to test drive all of their Rangers and things like that.

What is your favorite TV show?

“The Big Bang Theory.”

What is an interesting fact about you?

My friends call me by the nickname “Pie Chow” because of my last name.