The family motto is only two words, but Zoie Griffin has found plenty of ways to apply it.
“Let them.”
For the Tahlequah High School senior, the phrase is a reminder not to waste energy on things outside her control. Griffin would rather put that energy into the work in front of her, an approach that has helped her become one of Oklahoma’s accomplished softball players.
“Our family motto has always been that,” Griffin said. “Control what you can control and let it take care of itself.”
Griffin competes in fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball for Tahlequah, and her career has already produced a milestone that stands above the rest. She was named the Gatorade Oklahoma Softball Player of the Year; an honor she considers her proudest athletic accomplishment.
The recognition reflects years of work, but Griffin’s biggest takeaway from softball has less to do with awards than what happens when things do not go according to plan.
“The most important lesson softball has taught me is to keep going no matter what,” Griffin said. “Life isn’t perfect, and so just knowing that when you keep going and working hard, it all works out in the end.”
That persistence was built long before her senior year. Griffin remembers spending countless hours working alongside her brother in the family’s front yard, each developing in their respective sports.
“My parents, they have pushed me to become the player and person I am today, and I wouldn’t be who I am without them,” Griffin said. “Also, my brother, he gets on my last nerve, but that’s what brothers are for! Growing up, we worked hard in the front yard together in both my sports and his.”
Griffin has also had people outside her family help make Tahlequah feel like home. She points to Mrs. Littlehead, her seventh-grade math teacher, as someone who made a difference when Griffin was adjusting to a new school.
“She was always very positive and really helped me adapt to my new school easier,” Griffin said. “She always stayed involved with softball no matter where I was and was very encouraging.”
Away from softball, Griffin is involved in FCA, NHS and Cherokee NHS. She also enjoys spending time with friends at the river, part of a community she said “has been welcoming with open arms since day one.”
As Griffin enters her final year at Tahlequah, the people behind her remain an important part of everything she has accomplished. She credits Coach Ray, Coach Stewart, Coach Cloud and her teammates for continually helping her improve.
“They always have my back and work with me to get better each and every day,” Griffin said.
For Griffin, that support complements the lesson she has carried from her family to the softball field: do the work, control what you can and let the rest take care of itself.
