In coach-speak, Oak Harbor High School senior AnnaBelle Whitefoot is considered a “glue player.”

While most teenage girls wouldn’t want to be remotely associated with any Elmer’s product, Whitefoot considers it a compliment.

Glue players help all the moving parts of a team stick together and run in an efficient manner. These players don’t necessarily possess all-league talent, but they do display all-state character and an All-American attitude.

Whitefoot, who plays volleyball, basketball and tennis for the Wildcats, said in team sports, the team has to come first.

“For the team to be successful, each player has to be a team player,” she said. “You have to put the greater good above yourself.”

Whitefoot added that having a team-first attitude can be difficult because players don’t often understand a coach’s long-term goal.

“You need to push yourself, work hard, even if you don’t know what is going on,” she said. “You have to work through it.”

Another tough aspect of athletics is losing, which can tear a team apart, she said.

“You have to look past it, work hard in practice and move on to the next thing.”

Girls basketball coach Jon Atkins said, “AnnaBelle is one of the best kids I have; she is a great athlete and a great person.

“If I had 12 AnnaBelle’s, then we would probably go to state; she is 100 percent heart all the time. Annabelle has been team-first for me since day one, but that doesn’t mean that she is not a fierce competitor.”

The seed for Whitefoot’s love for athletics and the attitude she displays was planted by her mother, Sarah Hangan.

“My work ethic — my mom definitely embedded that in me,” Whitefoot said. “With hard work, you can accomplish anything.”

Hangan, a language arts teacher at Oak Harbor Middle School, played three sports in high school and now coaches volleyball and basketball at OHMS.

Whitefoot calls her father, James Hangan, her “biggest fan.”

Whitefoot likes the “adrenaline rush” of athletics and how it “teaches you all about life.”

“Practices can be really hard at times, but it is worth it,” she said. “It’s nice to see how far you have come along.”

Whitefoot earned three varsity letters in volleyball and will pick up her fourth in basketball this winter.

Whitefoot’s greatest success, however, has been in tennis, where she lettered the past two springs.

Whitefoot, the No. 2 singles player for the Wildcats all last season, entered the Wesco North tournament as the No. 9 seed. She went on to place third, earn all-league honors and qualify for district, where she placed fourth, missing the state tournament by one spot.

With Whitefoot’s work ethic, it’s not surprising she owns a 3.75 grade point average.

Balancing three sports and school eats up most of Whitefoot’s time: “I don’t get much sleep.”

“I always find myself focusing on my studies,” she said, avoiding television and “stuff like that.”

Just as her mother instilled a passion for athletics in Whitefoot, Hangan also stressed the importance of school, Whitefoot said.

“I like having good grades and can’t image it any other way.”

Whitefoot said athletics is her social life, adding, “all my friends are in the same sports as me.”

Whitefoot plans to attend Skagit Valley Community College next year and play tennis for the Cardinals.

After one year (she has already earned one year of college credits), she hopes to transfer to Western Washington University, where she has a Champions of Diversity scholarship, to study elementary education.

It’s easy to image how the qualities of a glue player will come in handy when Miss Whitefoot is staring down 25 enthusiastic second-graders.

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Here’s what Whitefoot’s other coaches, Horace Mells in tennis and Kerri Molitor in volleyball, had to say…

Mells: “AnnaBelle Whitefoot has been a significant and impressive part of the girls varsity tennis team for the past three years. Our chance of winning a contest greatly improves when she is part of the line-up. Of the many things that I like about AnnaBelle, the one thing that I like the most is her commitment to the program. I can always count on her during practices and games.

“I refer to the 2015 season as her break out season because she finally completed the puzzle by putting all of the pieces together and becoming a complete player. Her league record was 12 wins and three losses of which she revenged those losses during the league and district tournaments.”

Molitor: “AnnaBelle was a great contributor to our team.  She is a very intense player; she thrives on competition and is consistent and determined. Her teammates and coaches know that she will always give her best for the team.

“AnnaBelle began playing varsity as a sophomore. Although she didn’t have much experience, she didn’t shy from challenges.

“I have always had respect for her passion, determination and work ethic. A quote that sticks in my mind when thinking about AnnaBelle comes from another coach in our league…

During a district match, AnnaBelle suddenly got a nose-bleed during the fifth set and was unable to re-enter the match. After the match, while shaking hands with the other team, the opposing coach said, ‘I’m sorry your girl was hurt, but I’m not going to lie, I was relieved when No. 8 couldn’t return to the game.’  That really sums it up.  AnnaBelle makes a difference on the court.”