This February we are lucky to have not just one, but TWO Female Rising Stars! Karolina Mardonova and Maftuna Abdukodirova, of the Girls Table Tennis Team, are our two Cougar Stars. Coach Stanco nominated Maftuna and Karolina for their potential to be strong Table Tennis players for years to come.

Karolina Mardonova

Karolina really likes FDR, and she is happy that her sister recommended it to her. She feels FDR has a lot for sports and academic choices. She is proud to be starting on the 2nd Doubles unit of the Girls Table Tennis team. She is also an up and coming player on the Girls Tennis team.

Karolina believes her greatest strengths are that she is eager to practice and work hard everyday to become a better Table Tennis player. Much like Maftuna, Karolina gets nervous before games. She knows that with time and experience, she will become more confident in her ability. Karolina, on top of the Table Tennis and Tennis teams, plans to join the Badminton team this spring. Karolina would recommend that younger players need to stay focused when they start a new sport. It is easy to give up when things are challenging, so she wants new athletes to remember that their hard work will be rewarded.

Karolina is very happy to be chosen for this honor. She appreciates that Coach Stanco has noticed her dedication to the Girls Table Tennis team. She is truly a player on the rise!

Maftuna Abdukodirova

Maftuna enjoys attending FDR, and she really feels it is the right school for her. She has made a lot of great friends and really appreciates her coaches, Coach Kolesnik, her Tennis coach, and Coach Stanco. She is very thankful to both of them for teaching her so much this year.

Maftuna feels her greatest strength as an athlete is that she is hardworking. Her greatest weakness is that she gets nervous during matches. She looks forward to gaining more experience for next year.  Maftuna also joined the Tennis team this fall, because playing tennis was a childhood dream. She was very excited to play 2nd doubles on the Table Tennis team this winter. Being a starter during her freshman year was a big honor. The advice Maftuna would give a new athlete at FDR is to not give up when things get challenging. Just practice more and stay focus on your goal!

Maftuna is very grateful for this honor. She looks forward to making FDR, and her team, proud for the next 4 years!