“All In the Family” was a popular TV show back in the 1970’s but the theme still runs true today in the family of Sequoyah Tahlequah senior Carey Folsum.
“My mom was an All Stater when she played and then she played college basketball and softball at Bacone and I have two older sisters that played as well,” said Carey. “I’ve always looked up to my oldest sister Helen and wanted to eventually do better than her. Growing up I always played up on my middle sister Stacy’s teams and so my sisters have had a big part in helping me be successful.”
Carey plays softball and basketball for the Lady Indians and is the lone senior on this spring’s slow pitch team which has been a big help according to head coach Jeff Turtle.
“She’s really helping us out because we’re really young and a lot of our fast pitch players have never played slow pitch which requires different techniques. She’s the kind of leader that if you need something done, she’ll get it done through the girls.”
Fast pitch is really Carey’s game where she is the Lady Indians catcher while she plays third base in slow pitch. Besides her sisters, there is another player that has been a role model for Carey.
“One of my role models is Grace Lyons who’s the shortstop at OU. I think she’s one of the best players ever and I’ve always idolized her because of her energy and the way she hits and leads the team.”
Carey’s freshman year was the year Sequoyah shut down athletics due to Covid and some athletes left for other schools. But Carey decided to stay and put the down time to good use.
“That year was tough, and it was a hard decision on whether or not to stay. But I decided I would still have at least a couple of years left and I always wanted to finish as a Lady Indian. So I put my efforts into my studies that year and I think it really helped me get ahead academically now that I’m a senior,” said Folsum who credits her mom for motivating her by supporting her and making her work for what she wanted to achieve.
Carey will continue to study and play softball next year at Connors State.
