For the majority of his life, he has lived out his passion. Whether he is in the water, on wheels or on his feet, this multisport athlete feels he can conquer anything.

SHS freshman Drew Shellenberger is a multisport athlete who has competed in many triathlons for the past nine years of his life. These triathlons consist of swimming, biking and running.

“I love every minute of it,” Drew said.

Recently he placed second at Nationals in Cincinnati. According to Drew, each finishing position has a number of points that you earn. At the end of the season, the total amount of points you earned are added together and that determines your placement.

Drew puts full effort into all of the sports he participates in, but he claims that swimming and running are his main focuses right now. This fall, he will be a member of SHS cross country team and the SHS swim team during the  winter. He also competes on a club swimming team in the summer called Southside Indy Aquatics or SIA.

However, Drew isn’t the only member in his family that has gained big accomplishments through competing in triathlons. His dad, Todd Shellenberger, who has been a triathlete for 25 years, still competes in  triathlons and is a coach at The Baxter YMCA. Todd’s passion for triathlons has guided Drew in this direction, and now, Drew proudly follows in his footsteps with a large amount of support from him as well.

“Usually, on race days for Drew, I try to make myself scarce and only come around if he needs anything,” Todd said. “He’s pretty self sufficient, so it’s kind of nice just to watch him do his thing and just be a parent and enjoy watching him do it.”

His family members aren’t the only ones that give him endless support. His triathlon, cross country and swimming teammates are always there for him. When training together they always push each other to do their best.  

One teammate and friend, Gage Biggerstaff, a freshman at SHS, has stood by his side since they became friends their 6th grade year. He says he has seen growth in Drew ever since then.

“He always tries 100 percent,” Biggerstaff said. “ If he doesn’t try, that means he has something important to go to, like a meet.”

Drew is currently training for his next triathlon in May of 2017. He hopes to receive another memorable achievement and not only make his supporters proud, but most importantly himself.