By Paul Condry, Matt Kopsea, and J.P. Joubert
No one can ever accuse Addie Galbreath of not being committed.
Whether she’s on the flag football field, volleyball court, or softball diamond, the Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter junior standout is “all in.”
“I’m probably one of the most competitive people you would ever meeting,” explained Galbreath. “I would say my commitment and my competitive drive are my strengths. I hate losing and I don’t like quitting. It really bothers me when other people quit.
“When I know they could achieve something too competitively, I try to tell them it’s just really fun to win and it’s fun to win as a team. I just love having that bond with my teammates, especially in sports. I only play team sports, so I love making new friends through all of this stuff.”
The same pertains to the classroom where she has compiled a 4.1 grade-point average.
“Growing up, my parents always pushed me to be the best I could be, both academically and athletically,” Galbreath said. “They kind of helped push me to play flag football. Then, there are my grandparents. They support me by showing up to all my games. Obviously, there are my coaches. They’ve written letters of recommendations for me and just really been involved in my life, which has really been nice.”
In addition to her accomplishments on and off the field, she also enjoys helping others.
“I really, really enjoy volunteering within my community,” Galbreath said “It’s just really fun to see what impact I can make and it’s just awesome to see.”
All of these positive contributions are just part of the reason Addie was chosen as the Indianapolis Colts’ inaugural High School Woman of the Year.
An internal selection panel, composed of various Indianapolis Colts staff members voted on the top selections with a heavy focus on community involvement. Nominees, who exemplify these values on and off the field, were evaluated based on their work in the community, academic accomplishment, and football performance.
Involved in athletics since she was three years old, Galbreath has never been afraid to experiment in different areas.
“I got involved in flag football last summer because I stopped playing volleyball and I wanted something to do so in the fall,” explained Galbreath, who was chosen as the team’s most valuable player and scholar athlete. “It was something new and something I had wanted to do. I thought it was an interesting and a cool new opportunity, so I thought I might as well just give it a whirl.”
After starting out as a wide receiver, she eventually found her taking over as the Raiders’ quarterback.
“I really enjoyed being a receiver for two weeks before I became the quarterback,” Galbreath said. “Honestly, just being on the field is really where I enjoy the most. I guess I did not have really any desire to be the quarterback at first because I just may not of thought it was something I could do. I thought I was going to be the receiver. I mean, I’ve got good hands and I was catching the ball left and right. So, I thought okay, this is what I’m supposed to do.”
However, she eventually got comfortable being the signal caller.
“Maybe, at first, the coach didn’t think I could do it as well, but I guess that’s just how things panned out,” Galbreath said. “Slowly over time, I started like working on it more. I started becoming more actually like, oh, okay, maybe I could actually do this more aware of what I could do and my capabilities. And I guess I just, I mean, the team needed it, so I decided I might as well step up and be someone the team could rely. I guess I filled it in whenever we needed it.”
It’s easy to see why Cardinal Ritter coach Leo Ortiz had so much faith and confidence in Galbreath.
“Her willingness to never quit, to always have a smile on her face, and her never quit mentality are the things that makes Addie a better athlete daily,” explained Ortiz. “Her attitude on the field is infectious and she never lets the situation of the game become too big for her. She keeps that positive attitude and this inspires others to carry on.
“I feel if we did not have Addie in our inaugural season, it wouldn’t has been as great a feat and possibly, we would not have the two wins that we did get at.”
As it turns out, she has known her boss for a while now.
“Funnily enough, Coach Ortiz used to be one of my softball coaches for the rec league that I still play in, so he coached me for like one year I believe,” Galbreath said. “When I came to Ritter, he was the assistant softball coach here as well, so I’ve known him for a very long time. His daughter, who is a senior, is also one of my friends.
“As the years have passed, I’ve come to rely on him and he’s been able to help me. He’s written me letters of recommendation and just been supportive of my academic and athletic career.”
Although she has a passion for all sports, her passion has always been softball.
“I used to play volleyball and I still like to play it just for fun and casually with my friends, but softball is the sport for me,” explained Galbreath. “I really enjoy flag football, but I just I feel like I’ve been playing softball longer. I’ve had more time to appreciate it and how much it’s like I realize how much it’s positively impacted my life. I feel like if I had more time with flag football that I might be able to form like another like stronger connection.”
Playing flag football has had its advantages on and off the field.
“I’ve gotten a lot faster playing flag football with Coach Ortiz and our advanced physical conditioning coach, Coach Cole,” Galbreath said. “They put together like workouts and I’ve gotten way faster. My softball coaches have noticed it and other people have noticed it. Arm strengthening has helped my shoulder a lot, so that’s been useful.
“I feel like being a leader because I mean I’m an upperclassman now, I’m a junior, so I felt like I had to step up and be the leader. I’m taking a bigger stance now and I feel like that translates into the other sports I’ve played.”
She is also grateful to her fellow players.
“One of my best friends, Sophie Barnes, is on the flag football team with me,” Galbreath said, “She keeps me grounded and keeps me humble. I love her so much. My other teammates, at first there weren’t very many, but slowly over time, we started building a bond and it was just really nice to see how we all came together.”
Having another year of high school, Addie believes she can fine tune her skills.
“I would say I get wrapped up in everything and I become emotional if things start getting bad,” Galbreath said. “I just have to rely on my teammates to help me pull myself in. I guess in the moment I can get upset just if it’s like mistakes we’ve been making and we’ve been trying to correct and it just you can’t see that we’ve been trying to correct it.
“Honestly, I just have to take it in stride and use it as momentum and just use that to propel myself to want to be better for my teammates and help them be better. I guess I have to just take it one day at a time and keep plugging away and improving. Keep hitting the gym, keep up my health by eating well and doing the basic healthy stuff, and just keep a positive attitude.”
Away from school and sports, Addie is just like any teenager.
“I love to hang out with my friends and I love to go shopping,” explained Galbreath. “I love to read and I love to hang out with my brother. I have two dogs and I love hanging out and playing with them.
“I like to be social. I love to just go out and hang out with people and meet. I love meeting new people. I love talking to people. I’m a very social person. I just love hiking and I love being outside in nature. That’s why I love softball and football because you get to be outside. It’s really fun. I love the beach and I love going to the beach with my family. It’s really, really fun.”
Addie also appears to have her future mapped out as well.
“Softball is getting really hard to play in college, but I’ve also considered, like highly considered flag football in college,” said Galbreath, who plans on majoring in business, marketing, or business administration. “My goal is Notre Dame, but anywhere that I go, I would love to see and help found a flag football team and have it competitively at the NCAA D-1 level or even like a club team.”
Although the Raiders finished 2-5 this season, she believes things will be better the second time around.
“We need to just stick with it,” Galbreath said. “This was the first inaugural season, so we need to just keep sticking with it. I think that as more awareness for flag football grows, our program will grow. Even though we’re not the best, we’ll still be getting better and making progress towards being a better team.”
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