‘Excited about the future’

For the first time in her life, Tonya Schnibbe is interviewing for a summer job. Her busy schedule had prevented her from holding one until now.

Schnibbe’s time since kindergarten has been consumed year-round by sports and the required travel. The University High senior’s athletic endeavors have been so successful that she had to choose between basketball and soccer to play in college. She picked Weber State and basketball.

During her recently completed four-year high school career she played three sports and participated in nine state tournaments.

“It’s been a privilege, with the teams and teammates and coaches I’ve had, to be able to go to state nine times out of 11 (seasons),” she said.

At University, Schnibbe led scoring for four years in soccer, tallying more than 60 goals. The four teams combined for a 47-5 Greater Spokane League record and qualified for state each year. She was a three-time All-GSL player and offensive MVP.

As part of the first University graduating class to enter high school as freshmen, she also was the first to letter all four years in basketball. The Titans compiled an 86-22 record and made three state trips, placing sixth and third the past two seasons.

And after choosing driving school over softball as a freshman, she took up the sport, starting at second base the last three years for teams that went 67-16 and twice finished among the state’s top seven. She was All-GSL first team as a junior and second team this year.

Coach Jon Schuh said her experience in softball and soccer will help her basketball career and is proof that a three-sport athlete can earn a college scholarship.

“Her athletic ability allowed her to do things that other girls aren’t able to do,” said coach Jon Schuh. “It amazes me how well she was able to play softball when she only played it during the school season.”

Basketball and soccer were Schnibbe’s main sports. She played two years with the Spokane Stars Elite Blue basketball summer team and on club soccer Washington State Cup teams.

In 2004 the Stars completed their national schedule at the end of July and she came home to pack for a U.S. Club Soccer national age group championship with the Spokane Shadow in early August.

Her sports took her across the country, from Arizona and Las Vegas to Georgia, North Carolina and New York. Yet the only real conflict juggling her commitments, she said, came during U-Hi softball her junior year.

The regional final was played at the same time as a State Cup soccer final. She played softball.

“High school was my priority then,” she said. “That didn’t really go over well.”

Because Schnibbe’s future was either college soccer or basketball.

“It was weird getting phone calls from coaches and not knowing from what sport,” Schnibbe recalled. “They wouldn’t say and I’d have to call back and ask, ‘Which sport exactly are you from?’ “

It came down to Gonzaga University for soccer and Weber State for basketball. She chose the latter last fall in an 11th hour decision.

“I was almost 100 percent sure I was going to soccer because of the comfort level,” Schnibbe said. “I went down to Weber State on a Friday, came back on Monday and called them. The coaches and girls were so awesome and it was so beautiful there, it just fit.”

Ironically, said U-Hi activities coordinator Ken VanSickle, basketball is the one sport that Schnibbe was never named first-team All-Greater Spokane League, although she was named second team twice.

But Titan basketball coach Mark Stinson doesn’t doubt she’ll be a success at Weber. He said that in four years at U-Hi, Schnibbe became a coach on the floor.

“If you took a straw poll, the consensus was that Tonya would play soccer in college,” Stinson said. “But in talking to college basketball coaches, they say point guard is the hardest position to fill. I know I was spoiled. She grew into the role and thrived on it. She will be a great college point guard.”

Schnibbe said that she would never change a thing about her sporting life and University High career.

Her only regret was missing a 10th state trip when the softball team missed out this spring for the first time in 11 years. It brought a harsh realization that her stunningly successful high school career was over.

“With softball ending so abruptly, it hit me harder than I thought it would,” she said. “I’m sad to see it end, but everything great comes to an end. I’m very excited about the future.”