Tarah Bigger was compared often to her older sister, Ali, at River Ridge, where they both played volleyball and had ACL injuries.
By IZZY GOULD
Published July 5, 2006
Tarah Bigger
AGE: 18
SCHOOL: River Ridge
SPORTS: Volleyball, soccer
GPA: 4.40, weighted; unweighted 3.90
ACT: 28
COLLEGE: University of Florida
MAJOR: Undecided
ACADEMICS: National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society.
ATHLETICS: All-Suncoast volleyball honorable mention, Times' first-team selection, Sunshine Athletic Conference first team. Led Royal Knights in 2005 with 145 digs.
Times staff writer
University of Florida-bound Tarah Bigger spent most of her high school years at River Ridge being compared to her sister, Ali. Times staff writer Izzy Gould had a chance to talk to Bigger about her own time as a Royal Knight.
IG: Do you consider yourself a better student or athlete?
TB: I'd probably say student. Sports kept me sane during the year. I'm kind of finding the same qualities in each one. I guess I could be just as much of an athlete. I've always been a good student. My older sister, Ali, set a pretty high standard. She graduated in 2002. She played volleyball and tennis and was very good at volleyball. That's where I got the love for volleyball. She started me out young. She was a role model. I wanted to be like her. There were some things I wish we didn't share, like the ACL injury.
IG: ACL injury?
TB: It was my junior year, the third game of the season. It was a bummer. We were already up a few points against Zephyrhills. It was a pretty uneventful play: I went up for the ball, came down the wrong way and heard a loud "pop." I knew it was bad right away. I couldn't get up with the way I'd fallen. They had to carry me off the field. Ali's injury was from volleyball.
IG: How tough was the comeback?
TB: I knew going into it was going to be real hard. You don't really know until you try to get back. You have good days and bad days. Some days you notice it a lot. I had to wear a huge knee brace.
IG: Think you'll play sports at Florida?
TB: I want to play intramural sports, but probably just volleyball. Soccer is a real contact sport. There's a lot of injuries. I've played since I was 4. I don't know if it's worth it. But I'm thinking I might try flag football.
IG: Where's Ali now?
TB: She graduated this year from the University of Florida. She's staying up there to study for the MCATs, then she'll decide where to apply for medical school.
IG: Did everyone at River Ridge compare you with Ali?
TB: I guess I would say kind of. I ended up with the same teachers as her. It was more that everyone had expectations for me or great anticipation. I always wanted to be like her. There was a four-year difference. She always tried to beat me up. We got really close when she went away to UF.
IG: Your volleyball team had a lot of success.
TB: I'm really glad I played for that team. We won conference and districts. I already knew the coach from when my sister played. Coach (Heidi Castelamare) worked us really hard. We had jump training. All the girls were really great. We did really well.
IG: Were you competitive when it came to class ranking?
TB: I never really cared about class ranking. It was more my performance in classes. There's so many ways to raise (a grade point average). I took a lot of (advanced placement) classes to get into a good school. Our guidance counselors always stressed how hard it was to get in.
IG: Did you have your sights set on being top of the class?
TB: I never aspired to be a valedictorian. The whole speech thing kind of scared me. I always worried about working hard, doing my best, making myself happy.
IG: Where did you finish in class rank?
TB: I think I was around seventh. Not for sure.
IG: What will you study in college?
TB: Every time someone asks me that, I tell them a different answer every time. My interest is in environmental science, writing and photography. I've won some writing contests, but I haven't really done anything with photography.
IG: It says here you were part of the Spanish Honor Society. Hablo Espanol?
TB: I'm not fluent. You have to take Spanish for a year or two and apply to get in. It's like any other club. Now that I'm leaving, (the club is) looking into a trip to Puerto Rico.
