John Shearer: GPS’ Kennedy Ball Has Been In Spotlight As May Queen And Soccer Star

  • Saturday, May 20, 2023
  • John Shearer

Some might say Kennedy Ball has been a queen of local prep soccer in recent years with her standout offensive play for Girls Preparatory School that helped lead the Bruisers to two recent state championships and a personal scholarship to Arkansas.

Recently, she was crowned queen in an entirely different realm. On April 25, she served as May queen during the school’s tradition-rich May Day ceremony that dates to 1914.

And in contrast to her constant preparation and skill level in soccer that help her be ready for all kinds of scenarios, Miss Ball was totally caught off guard when she learned back in late November that she would be selected.

Being chosen as May queen at the school involves possessing a variety of positive traits related to character, school loyalty and leadership, and Miss Ball learned the surprising news she had been voted to be a member of the May Court after the seniors voted. And during this schoolwide chapel program on Nov. 30, she learned the also-surprising word that she was selected as queen after the entire student body had voted.

“I was shocked to even be on the court,” she said recently from the school as she reflected on the experience. “But it was a huge honor to be elected and to be thought of as someone who could represent that role.”

She admitted that she had been getting ready to hug another girl after thinking she was going to be the queen before Miss Ball’s name was announced.

And after going through the process of getting a dress, talking with former alumnae about the experience, and perhaps not being in the same comfort zone as on the soccer field, the ceremony all worked out perfectly.

“It was definitely a very weird experience, but in the best way possible,” she said, admitting she does not like to be in the spotlight. “But I had good support and encouragement the whole day. I definitely had nerves, but going out and walking the promenade was fun. The fun aspect of it outweighed the nerves.”

She also said it was a great and positive experience being on the May Court with some other girls she did not normally have classes with or hang out with away from school.

The GPS May Day program involves the introduction of the seniors and court who are wearing formal dresses, with the queen wearing a special white one. It is kind of a formal introduction into young adulthood for them and a salute to their careers at GPS in front of their families and the rest of the GPS community.

After that, the program involves several dances by students in various grades and culminates with the dance around several Maypoles by sophomores waving long ribbons connected to the poles, with the queen walking under one of them at the end. GPS officials had organized the dance where Miss Ball could walk right past her sophomore sister, Ellison.

Although several schools in Chattanooga and elsewhere traditionally held varying May Day programs around May 1 and had a queen, very few have them today. So, Miss Ball said she was curious how some relatives who came in from out of town would comprehend something new and different to them.

“I was interested to see their reaction afterward,” she said with a laugh. “They were just blown away. I think they enjoyed it.”

While being a center of attention during the May Day program was new for her, she has experienced that quite a bit on the soccer field. In fact, she might be one of the most decorated GPS athletes ever to serve as May queen.

She had been a member of the varsity soccer team at GPS since the eighth grade, when the Bruisers won the state in 2018. She then helped lead coach Patrick Winecoff’s team to a state championship again her senior year of 2022.

Miss Ball had 15 goals and 15 assists as a forward and attacking midfielder during the season and was named all-American by the United Soccer Coaches organization. She also finalized plans to play for Arkansas, one of the SEC’s top women’s soccer programs of recent years.

She also formerly played basketball and participated in track and field at GPS until this year, when she has been focusing on soccer getting ready for Arkansas and being involved with the Lady Red Wolves’ local soccer program.

Miss Ball, the daughter of Hannah and Clint Ball, said she started playing soccer when she was 3 or 4 and has been in love with the sport ever since.

“I was an on-the-go child, and my parents were looking for something to keep me occupied, and I fell in love with it,” she said.

She spent her early years in Charleston, S.C., before her family moved to the Chattanooga area and she began attending Fairyland Elementary on Lookout Mountain near Covenant College, where her parents had met after growing up in Florida. She enrolled at GPS in the sixth grade.

She said she enjoys soccer for a variety of reasons. “When I’m playing, I am fully present and not thinking about anything else,” she said, admitting she enjoys the assists as much as the goals. “And you get to have great relationships through it.”

She ended up choosing Arkansas to play collegiately in part because the Razorback program was one of the first to reach out to her in the recruiting process.

“They really made an effort and I just visited there and watched them play and really loved it,” she said. “Once I saw the team and chemistry there and experienced the coaching staff, I said this is the place.”

She also enjoys the outdoors, and the outdoors opportunities in the Fayetteville area near the Ozark Mountains of Northwest Arkansas were also a draw. In fact, she said that area reminds her a little of the mountains and outdoors opportunities around Chattanooga.

She plans to leave for orientation in late June and then will begin focusing on the upcoming fall season with her new teammates.

The new GPS alum, who last weekend took part in GPS’ graduation, said she plans to study business but also hopes to look at potential pro soccer opportunities down the road if they become available.

Miss Ball, who received her first name from her mother’s maiden name, was also co-president of the Health Club at GPS. This oldest child from a family with four children has recently followed in the footsteps of sister Ellison by becoming interested in baking, too, she said.

She also has such other fun hobbies as playing with a Rubik’s Cube and doing crossword puzzles.

Her senior year also involved filling in plenty of proverbial empty squares while enjoying the dual blessings of soccer success and getting to serve as May queen.

And despite the seemingly different realms of soccer and May Day, she found a way to link them like across and down words in a puzzle by focusing on the larger team concept involved in both.

“The whole senior class is my team,” she said. “Both the senior class and the senior May Court are very supportive in similar ways. And in soccer, you are out there together.”

* * *

Other members of the GPS May Court included Maid of Honor Megan Jones, Crown Bearer Santana Etchison, Scepter Bearer Hannah Grace Kornberg, Right Train Bearer Anya Parambath, Left Train Bearer Anabel Wilson, and Lady of the Court Soree Kim.

* * *

According to GPS, here are the criteria considered when selecting a May queen and Court members: 1) The May Queen and Court should be representatives of the senior class in the highest sense. 2) They should be gracious, friendly, and loyal to friends and to GPS. 3) They should be actively and enthusiastically involved in the life of GPS, eager to give of their time and their talents. 4) They should stand for the highest ideals in character and integrity. 5) They should be respected and admired by fellow schoolmates and faculty alike.

* * *

GPS May queens over the years:

1914 Margaret Anderson Coffey

1915 Sue Devin Smith Gooch

1916 Lucille Thomas Williams

1919 Helen Hughes Caine

1920 Helen Glover Miller

1921 Dorothy Brizzie Hedges

1922 Geraldine Thatcher Glascock

1923 Augusta Allison Lasley

1924 Charlotte Ferger Signiago

1925 Sarah Robinson Sharp

1926 Mary Sanford Patten

1927 Martha Lanier Graham

1928 Evelyn Allison South

1929 Rowena Kruesi Frierson

1930 Helen Gatewood Chenault

1931 Elizabeth Finlay Chadwick

1932 Charlotte Fowler Maclellan

1933 Kate King Efurd

1934 Mary Alice Thompson Chalfant

1935 Marjorie Wallace Pontius

1936 Betty Bryan Conroy

1937 Virginia Johnson McKenzie

1938 Betty Marus Thomas

1939 Mary Katherine Fred Moore

1940 Jane Brown Marlin

1941 Hilda Hude Chapin

1942 Mary-Claire Dorscheid Hailey

1943 Elizabeth Carothers Gibson

1944 Bonnie Johnson Graves

1945 Janet Johnston Strang

1946 Dorris Chapin Wells

1947 Sally McClellan Currey

1948 Anne Cahoon Stratton

1949 Ann Nichols Goess

1950 Sarah Key Patten Gwynn

1951 Sally McCoy Garland

1952 Dorothy Brown Ellis

1953 Charlotte Patten Gauss

1953 Phyllis Patten Hardin

1954 Hildagarde Reeves Sutherland

1955 Nan Chamberlain Smith

1956 Elizabeth Montague Lewis

1957 Betsy Chamberlain Tuller

1958 Grace Elizabeth Moore

1959 Barbara Boone Stabler

1960 Anne Dudley Griffin

1961 Sally Bacon Smartt

1962 Katherine Frances Kendall

1963 Diann Estabrook Seals

1964 Barbara Johnson Prickett

1965 Suzanne Smith Allen

1965 Cynthia Kemp Battle

1966 Helene Striebinger Reisman

1967 Martha Smith Voght

1968 Emily Bryan Grimes

1969 Louise Chamberlain Tual

1970 Allison Goree Willson

1971 Honey Brown Doramus

1972 Cathie Ault Kasch

1973 Mary Rebecca Grems

1974 Kim Lupton Strang

1975 Eleanor Bryan Billington

1976 Lynn Winningham

1977 Carla Sinor Bush

1978 Katie Lonas McKenzie

1979 Frances Williamson McCallie

1980 Nancy Collins Petty

1981 Stephanie Petree Christian

1982 Anne Duvoisin Halliburton

1983 Margaret Austin Curtis

1984 Etoil Bowles Brown

1985 Frances Sholar Clark Howard

1986 Jana Weekes Olson

1987 Lisa Portera Grafton

1988 Elizabeth Rose Provence

1989 Lesley Denise Walker

1990 Joy Rucker Clements

1991 Christy Leigh McArthur Moore

1992 Janet Ensign Neder

1993 Jeannette Rae Sebes-McDonald

1994 Toy O’Ferrall Harmon

1995 Florrie Louise Glendenning Cook

1996 Ayieta Sabina Mbeche

1997 Frances Sayle Milne

1998 Crystal Yvonne Brooks Pourciau

1999 Amber Leigh Swafford Tucker

2000 Jessica Ann Cofer LaFoy

2001 Amita Mohan Chhabra

2002 Mary Katherine Dann Ogden

2003 Vivian Grace Parham

2004 Whitney Bell St. Charles

2005 Erin Felton Lopez

2006 Sarah Katherine Neall

2007 Brandi Javon Andrews

2008 Caitlin Alison McAloon

2009 Rachel June Smith

2010 Laura Elizabeth Laughlin Dickinson

2011 Mary Anna Caldwell Djire

2012 Rachel Austin Kelly Blackmon

2013 Tiana Nichole Mills

2014 Jessica Lynn Erhart

2015 Mackenzie Michelle Hobbs

2016 Alyson Michelle Parris

2017 Iman Ali

2018 Phoebe-Agnès Sinclair Mills

2019 Myra Kruesi Brock

2020 Kshama Ashish Patel

2021 Mary Adella Youmans

2022 Shalizeh Fatima Rizvi

2023 Kennedy Noel Ball

* * *

jcshearer2@comcast.net

Happenings
Vintage Base Ball Opening Day For Chattanooga Clubs Is April 6
Vintage Base Ball Opening Day For Chattanooga Clubs Is April 6
  • 3/28/2024

The Lightfoot Club of Chattanooga and the Mountain City Club of Chattanooga will begin the 2024 season of vintage base ball (yep, two words) on the historic 6th Calvary polo field (6 Barnhardt ... more

4 Bridges Arts Festival Returns April 20-21
  • 3/28/2024

The Association for Visual Arts will present the 24th Annual 4 Bridges Arts Festival at the First Horizon Pavilion on the southside of downtown Chattanooga this April. The festival will take ... more

Volunteers Needed for American Battlefield Trust Park Day
  • 3/28/2024

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park is seeking volunteers for American Battlefield Trust Park Day. Sign-up will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 6 at the intersection of Woodland ... more