No stopping young Windham athlete Eliana Kostopoulos

Eliana 'Yani'  Kostopoulos winds up to throw a
pitch during a Windham Little League game on
July 19, 2020 at Arlington Field in Windham.
PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA

By Matt Pascarella

Eliana “Yani” Kostopoulos may be just 10-years-old, but she’s a hard worker on any type of field.

Kostopoulos began playing sports at a young age. She did gymnastics at 2 years old, played soccer at 3 and played football and basketball at age 4. When she was 5 years old, she began to play tee ball and from there Kostopoulos launched into what would be a stellar start to her athletic career.

Since Kostopoulos started her athletic career, she’s played football, soccer, softball, basketball and gymnastics. Kostopoulos likes playing sports because it’s an opportunity to meet and make new friends. Her coaches teach valuable lessons, and she enjoys playing and being out on the field or court having fun.

As an athlete, Kostopoulos says that she has learned a lot. Not just skills and the ability to play various sports, but character building too. She’s learned to be respectful of her teammates as well as opponents. Kostopoulos always tries her hardest. She aims to push herself to achieve her goals.

“She is very coachable and is great with her teammates,” says coach Stephen Napolitano. “She has a good sense of humor and loves to play the game. I would take her on any team I coach.”

No one likes to lose, but when it happens, she knows to keep her cool and try harder the next time; good sportsmanship and attitude are very important to her.

“Eliana is a natural born leader,” said mom Gina Kostopoulos. “There’s not a whole lot that she tries that she doesn’t excel at. She committed to her first travel softball team at the age of 8, although her softball IQ wasn’t fully developed (she’s still working hard at learning the game) she’s always been able to keep up!”

Eliana’s parents make sure she knows that no matter how good you are there is always someone who is better. They want her to stay humble and lift her teammates whenever she gets the opportunity.

“My mom and dad both played sports. They have played with me and encouraged me since I was a baby,” said Eliana.

Kostopoulos’ favorite thing about being on a team is the chance to meet people you might not have gotten to know otherwise.

“Yani is a really good player, and she is a very good teammate to have on the team. She is a good hitter and very flexible with the positions she plays,” said teammate and sixth grader Kaylee Napolitano.

This has been a tough year for sports, but Kostopoulos has been fortunate to be able to play softball for Windham Little League and travel team Maine Thunder as well as basketball for travel team Blue Wave.

Kostopoulos’ favorite motivating quote is “You don’t have to be the fastest or the strongest, you just have to want it more than everybody else.”

While Kostopoulos hasn’t really thought as far ahead as playing for a varsity team, she would like to do it. She plans to work really hard in order to make the team. Two varsity sports she would love to play are softball and basketball.

“My favorite sport is softball, and my favorite jersey number is nine,” said Kostopoulos.

Off the field, she likes to hunt, fish, swim, ride her bike, jump on her trampoline, go four wheeling, ride scooters and play with her friends. <