Crowning achievements

Amalie King was not content on being a part of a program. She wanted to start one.

Seeing a need at one of Little Rock's public elementary schools, King -- a student at Episcopal Collegiate -- founded a tutoring program that benefited children in her neighborhood. It was the beginning of the Romine Program.

"I would walk by Romine every day and I saw they had needs," said King, who is the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Female Academic/Athlete for 2016-2017. "They had no tutoring program. They had no music program. I wanted to do something. I had to meet with our principal and I had to meet with their principal, but we began to get things done. It made me feel good that I was doing something to help them."

King's idea to implement a tutoring program for the under-funded elementary school was a success.

"Everything she does, she does it to the fullest extent of perfection," said Episcopal volleyball Coach Monty Smith. "She is a great leader. She didn't just play a sport; she starts in every sport and she's a key component in every sport."

King also was a mover and a shaker at her own school. She not only played three sports, was a cheerleader and served as vice president of Episcopal's National Honor Society chapter, but she performed so well in the classroom that she earned admission to Vanderbilt. She is hoping her time at the private university in Tennessee eventually lands her a law degree.

"I plan to major in human and organizational development," King said. "That's not the normal course of action that leads to becoming a lawyer. Most students will go into political science. But I think my degree will help my leadership skills."

King played soccer, volleyball and basketball for the Lady Wildcats. She and her teammates enjoyed success in both soccer and volleyball. But playing basketball was what she was most proud.

"I know that sounds strange because we were God-awful," said King, whose team went 4-21 her senior year. "But we all stuck with it and bonded as a team. I think we became better because of it."

The bonding, however, did not mean King enjoyed playing.

"[Basketball] is awful, but I loved my teammates," King said. "Soccer was my favorite."

Smith said King's determination was her most impressive quality.

"Whatever she did, she gave it all of her time and all of her energy," Smith said. "She's going to make sure it's done right. And she's generous with her time. She's willing to spend time with other players to make sure they will succeed."

King played four years of varsity soccer and was the team captain and an all-state player her final three years. As a libero on the volleyball team, she was an all-conference player who played on a conference championship team.

Her admission to Vanderbilt has one extra benefit: She's a big fan of country music.

"To look at me, you'd never know it, but I love country music," King said. "The only times I've been to Nashville is to see shows. I've never been to the Vanderbilt campus. I've taken online tours, but I've actually never visited the campus."

Sports on 07/16/2017