Athletics weren’t in the cards for Carle Place junior Justin Powers when he grew up in Queens.
“I played baseball for three days when I was, like, 3, and I didn’t like it really,” he told The Post.
“I never really cared for sports that much,” added the 16-year-old.
Things drastically changed when he traded the World’s Borough for life in the suburbs, as Powers said, fitting in was no easy task.
“The switch for schools was kind of tough for me,” Powers said. “Making new friends was really what was hard for me at the time.”
So he took a leap of faith in seventh grade and decided to put on shoulder pads and a helmet to play football, mainly to meet more kids in his neighborhood.
“That’s when I realized, I really like playing on team sports,” Powers said. “I love the hard work and dedication, being with my friends, competitiveness … and I like to hit people.”
Thank goodness Powers broke the comfort zone, as it led the teenager to become a three-sport varsity athlete in ninth grade.
Powers is a lineman in football, wrestles in the winter, and guards the Carle Place Frogs’ zone as a defenseman in lacrosse when the snow melts.
“I feel like now I’ve become more outgoing because of sports, believing in myself, taking risks, all of that,” said Powers, now 7-2 on the mats this season and vying for his first state title. “I feel like I was much more of a shy kid, and I feel like I’ve really put myself out there.”
With great Powers comes great responsibility
The sudden star was named captain of the wrestling team this season — a role that is typically reserved for seniors.
The honor is teaching him more about how to approach life than anything else.
“I was nervous to have to take that role on,” said Powers, a heavyweight in the 215-pound weight class. “But I feel like it’s helped me understand what it’s like to be more like a leader,” added the teen who wants to wrestle in college.
That, and commitment to his other seasonal sports, has also given Powers another type of grit to help him stand out — the motivation to notch straight A’s in school.
“Junior year is definitely the hardest part of my academic tenure. This year, I’ve seen that I really need to step it up even more than I have before. … It’s hard,” said Powers, who just earned a 98 average. “Sports just really strengthened my mentality and the way that I’ve worked through certain things in school.”
Paying it forward
As Powers continues to find his stride on the field, the mats, and in the classroom, he’s never too busy to help out any younger kids — especially those who may also be on the timid side.
Powers devotes what little spare time he has to counseling for lacrosse and wrestling camps, where he keeps an eye out for children who remind him of his early days.
“If I’ve seen somebody that’s kind of shy or doesn’t want to go in, or be with everybody else, I would get them involved in certain things,” he said.
The extra effort has certainly been noticed.
“I’ve had one kid that I spent time with, getting to know him during camp. He came up, and he said, ‘Thank you for helping me out and being with me, and not just putting me to the side.’ ” Powers recalled.
“It made me happy to see him be more involved and really have put himself out there.”
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