Sam Laney, an 11th-grade junior at THS, is heavily involved in sports boosters and live streaming for various sports, as well as sports communications. Outside of school, he transports equipment between campuses for baseball and football and works with Oxford Total Production Services for ESPN’s Ole Miss production. Despite his busy schedule, he values his peace and quiet and enjoys playing guitar, and listening to music. A piece of advice he cherishes is to see challenges as opportunities. Sam’s biggest accomplishment is completing his first semester of college as part of Middle College, where he can earn an associate’s degree in his final high school years.

[WM]: What are you involved in at THS?

[SL]: I’m involved in boosters for different sports, and it’s like contracts, unofficial contracts. They hire me to get a production together, get the equipment there, and just run a live stream, hire camera people, see what the prices of equipment are, and just get the overall live stream done. And I’m also involved with sports communications and do quite a bit for them. 

[WM]: What are you involved in outside of the school, outside of the school?

[SL]: I mean just moving equipment from campus to campus. The two main sports that I do are baseball and football, so obviously their campuses are very far apart. But I also work in Oxford total production services for David Dillard, and we run the Ole Miss production for ESPN.

[WM]: What is the most interesting thing about you?

[SL]: The most interesting thing about me, people, people have told me the most is that I’m just always busy. No matter where I am. I’m doing something, whether it be sitting at my house or working, I’m always finding somebody new to meet, finding somebody new to talk to, finding something to do, and always staying busy. 

[WM]: What is something that might surprise people about you?

[SL]: Throughout all the chaos of what I do and always staying busy, I like to have peace and quiet at the same time. There has to be a balance to it. Yes, I can be out there, run a production, hire a ton of people, talk to a ton of people, but I also have to have my time where I can just maybe sit, read a book, or just sit outside, enjoy the weather Most people don’t see it but, that time that is needed for me to not feel crazy.

[WM]: What can you not live without? Besides a cell phone.

[SL]: Music. My guitar, if music did not exist. I would probably lose my mind.

[WM]: What is something in your backpack or car that is unusual?

[SL]: I have a snack bag, and there’s no telling how long those snacks have been in there.

[WM]: What is one song often stuck in your head?

[SL]: One song got things stuck in my head. No specific song, but I guess Chris Stapleton, I always find myself coming to or listening to in my car just his newer album, higher.

[WM]: What is the piece of advice the teacher gave you that you will take with you?

[SL]: One of my older classes, before I was the producer for football, told me that stuff is going to happen no matter what, it’s always better just to kind of see that as a good thing. Take see the opportunities and things. If you can sit here and see things as the world sees them, you’re going to be visible. So you just kind of have to find a way to make usual things are not-so-good things, great things, and turn them into opportunities for you to enjoy.

[WM]: What is your favorite Ths tradition?

[SL]: Pep rallies.

[WM]: What is your biggest accomplishment to this point?

[SL]: Well, I’m in Middle College, and so that’s an activity where you can students have their opportunity to get their associates in their last years as a high schooler. So I actually just finished my first semester of college yesterday.