FRISCO, Texas — As she flips through a book of memories with her mom and a friend looking on, Abbey Janicek realizes what they say is true — four years go by in the blink of an eye.
Abbey Janicek started playing soccer when she was five.
In high school, she played all four years on the Liberty Hill Varsity squad.
"I’m just so proud of the team going to state for two years in a row," Abbey Janicek says. "And we probably could have won it our third year, honestly, but ya know, corona. It’s just crazy because so many people don’t get to experience that, and for us it was kind of normal."
Back-to-back trips to state don’t happen often, and Abbey Janicek was a huge part of the Panthers’ success.
Her junior year she was named captain. During her senior year, she led her team in assists.
When she wasn’t running around the pitch, Abbey Janicek spent a lot of time with the Pharmacy Technician Student Guide.
She studied it from front to back, learning more than 200 drugs, before passing her certification to become a pharmacy technician.
It's a career she plans to continue advancing through as she heads off to Texas A&M this fall.
"I am very excited to go to A&M and become an adult," Abbey Janicek says.
While she may be ready for the next step, her mom is feeling a bit emotional.
"She’s my right arm" says Sarah Janicek. "And when she leaves in August it’ll be like somebody cut my arm off."
As an Aggie herself, Sarah Janicek has been preparing for this day for a long time.
"There’s like some old pictures, baby pictures, where it’s like, 'On my way to being an Aggie'," Abbey says.
And Sarah Janicek knows how to make sure her daughter is properly prepared, too.
"We got her a pitcher for in four years, when she finally gets that Aggie ring that she’s gonna work so hard for, she gets to put this in Koolaid and see how fast she can drink the Koolaid," Sarah Janicek laughs.
Abbey Janicek is excited to keep the family tradition alive, and ready for four years of new traditions, while keeping those from the past, close at hand and close at heart.