For as long as she can remember, basketball has been one of the great loves of Gabrielle Blankenfeld’slife. “I think my childhood helped contribute to my love of basketball and sports in general,” Blankenfeldmuses. “Growing up in a ‘sports family,’ it was clear my path was destined to include sports in somemanner.” Little did she know how incredible that path would look one day.Inspired by her grandfather, a successful basketball coach at the University of Buffalo, the athleticism ofher dad and mom, the positive coaching of her Uncle George, and the friendly competition of hercousins, Blankenfeld grew up “playing with the boys,” many times competing as the only girl on boys’youth teams. “My family was always super supportive of my athletic endeavors,” she remembers. “Idon’t think my mother missed a game, and my sister has always been my biggest fan.” A force on thebasketball court and a standout on the softball diamond, Blankenfeld thrived on competition andconnection. “As a freshman at NCHS, I knew maybe five people when I arrived. I joined the basketballteam and quickly found a great group of lifelong friends, the kind of friends that mold memories andeverlasting experiences that only teenagers growing up together can create,” she shared. “I LOVEDplaying with my teammates. For me, it was honestly more about the team than realizing any personalgoal and achievement.”That selflessness and team-first attitude translated readily into her play as a three-year starter and two-time All-Conference selection. Basketball coach John Schaefer said in a December 16, 1985 interviewwith Chicago Tribune reporter Linda Young, ''What I like is that she does everything so well. She`s notflashy, but she’s very smooth. She’s super seeing the open player and getting the ball to her.” A terrificrebounder and always generous with an assist, Blankenfeld was also an undeniable threat at the basket,graduating as the school’s second-all-time-leading scorer. Her 1,184 career points still positions heramong the top 8 scorers in Naperville Central history. Blankenfeld’s favorite high school moment waswhen she scored her 1,000 th point: “I can still remember the game. I remember stealing the ball at half-court and dribbling in for a layup. My mother, aunt, and uncle and a lot of parents were in attendanceand everyone was so supportive. Someone made a huge sign congratulating me and I was given adecorated basketball commemorating it. I think they even stopped the game when I crossed over 1,000points.”Blankenfeld’s talent and work ethic had colleges across the country clamoring for her attention. Whileher goal was to play collegiately and ultimately in the Olympics, life at home grew unexpectedlychallenging. Blankenfeld made the loving decision to forgo college to stay home and help her mom. “Itwas like saying good-bye to a dream,” recalled Blankenfeld. “But what I didn’t know was that the dreamwould pursue me a few years later.”That dream came tapping again during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Watching the USA women playtugged at Blankenfeld. When she confided that sense of “unfinished business” to a family member, hersister in turn pushed her to attend the WNBA’s open tryouts. Blankenfeld, who hadn’t held a basketballin 10 years, practiced for a year and earned tryout spots with the LA Sparks and NY Liberty. It was ahumbling experience resulting in rejections – and a bit of dejection on Blankenfeld’s part. But her sisterrefused to let her shelve her dream and Blankenfeld decided to attack her training with even morefuror. “I knew exactly what I needed to change in my preparation in order to even have a shot. I startedweightlifting and working with a trainer five days a week,” she said. “I played as much as possible and Ichanged how I was eating. By the end of that I year, I was as prepared as I could be going into the opentryouts with the Seattle Storm and Portland Fire.”While Blankenfeld didn’t earn a WBNA roster spot, her intense level of play and remarkable athleticismopened up an opportunity for her to return to college at age 32 on a basketball scholarship, giving her achance to pursue another dream: a college degree. “Before I knew it, I was on my way to Florida to playtwo years at Seminole Community College and then another two years for Rollins College. Little did Iknow that I would be the ‘oldest women’s NCAA player,’ at the time,” she laughed. Blankenfeld had asuccessful college basketball career, inspiring teammates, coaches, and fans alike.Blankenfeld graduated Magna Cum Laude from Rollins College with a degree in Psychology and a minorin Business. She coached basketball at Santa Fe Christian High School after graduation, counting thosetwo years as some of the most special years in her heart, as they allowed her to ”give back throughbasketball.” She has had a successful career in Operations and Marketing, working for American Express,Gillespie Moody Patterson, Inc. and RBN Design, Inc. Blankenfeld is especially passionate about her workwith Coastal K9 German Shepherd Rescue of San Diego, and is devoted to her family. A proud mom ofthree, grandma of two, and dog mom of four, Blankenfeld has been married to husband Kevin for 10years.Thinking back on her unexpected path, Blankenfeld invites Naperville Central students to “hold fast toyour dreams or what brings you the most joy and pursue it! It is part of your destiny and part of how youcan impact the world through those connected to you. Stay single-minded but flexible…you are who are,not what you do or produce. Hold in high regard strong values and principles and keep those at theforefront of your decision making and effort. The results will naturally follow.”For Blankenfeld, those results most certainly did.