Wisconsin High School Sports | Wisconsin Sports Network | WisSports.net

The Bug Tussel Wireless Triple Threat Athlete of the Week is an honor given on WisSports.net to the top senior boys and girls three-sport athletes in the state. Players are recognized each week on WSN, with the a boys and girls winner of the Pat Richter Award at the end of the season to the best three-sport athlete of the year.

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Name: Gus Foster

High School: Big Foot

Grade: Senior

Cross Country Honors: Two-time varsity letter winner ... Named team MVP junior and senior seasons ... Medaled in every race besides state as a senior ... Earned first-team all-Rock Valley Conference at the league meet ... Qualified for WIAA State Meet as a senior state ... Fastest time of 17:30 ... "I want to thank Coach (James) Newman for never letting me give anything but my best and encouraging me to give this sport a try."

Football Honors: Lettered on the varsity squad squad at Big Foot during freshman and sophomore years ... Injury curtailed sophomore season.

Basketball Honors: Four-year varsity letter winner ... As a sophomore, earned team MVP, honorable mention all-conference and second team all-area ... As a junior, earned first-team all conference, first-team all area, honorable mention all state ... Beloit Region Player of the Year, and Lake Geneva Regional Player of the Year ... Recently became the fourth player in Big Foot history to score 1,000 points ... All-time leading scorer at the school ...  "I would like to thank Coach (Hunter) Price for all the help he has given me over these last three years of being coached by him both on and off the court."

Soccer Honors: "During the alternate fall season my junior year, I went out for soccer because I had hung up the football cleats, but couldn’t survive without being in a sport. I was able to earn a varsity letter, score in my first ever game, and even keep a shutout in a 1-0 win over Whitewater when they needed me as a goalie because both of our starters couldn’t be there. I want to thank Coach (Keith) Blakeman and Coach Tuchscherer for understanding the situation I was in and accepting me as part of the team, helping me improve all along the way."

Track & Field Honors: Named team MVP as a freshman and junior ... Sectional qualifier as a junior for the 800, 1,600, and 4x400 relay ...  Finished third in the Rock Valley Conference Meet in the 1,600, fifth in the 800, and second in the 4x400 relay ... Best times to date include :52.0 in the 400, 2:03 in the 800 and 4:38 in the 1,600 ... "I want to give a huge shoutout to Coach (Greg) Lueck, Coach Newman, Coach Dowden, and Coach Mizelle for pushing me as hard as they do to become better."

Favorite Sport: "Basketball. There is just nothing in life that has brought me the same amount of joy. My teammates this year are the definition of family, which has taken my love for this sport to a next level. I love the hard work that it takes to become great. No feeling in life compares to the points in a game when you have hit a couple shots and just feel like nothing can stop you. I’ve dedicated a lot of my life to this sport and it has taken me so many places, and UW-Stevens Point is next."

Best Part of High School Sports: "Hands down the teammates, coaches and community. None of the accomplishments I have reached would have been any fun if I was celebrating them by myself. Every time I am on the court, track, course, field or any of the other sports settings I have played on, I hear my teammates and go even harder for them. After the events, I can always count on being met by my friends, family, and community members that attend the events. Outside of the sporting areas, I am lucky to call those same teammates who clash with me as we go hard in practice, and go all out with me during our games my best friends. My basketball team this year has had three team gatherings already, and probably more just because of how much we truly love each other. Whether I’ve been a leader, roll player, or bench warmer, these high school sports are something that have made me grateful for everything I have and all those around me."

Best Advice from a High School Coach: "People can sense the way you talk about them when they aren’t around" -- Coach Hunter Price

Most Memorable Moment in High School Sports: "I scored my 1,000th point in a home game my junior year against Badger High School. We held on to win an extremely dramatic game, and our local reporter came up and talked to me before I entered the locker room. After the interview I walked into my locker room, ready for our post-game meeting, but was instead met by dozens of water bottles drenching me from head to toe. I really wanted to make an instagram post, however could not because my phone, which was lying IN THE TOP of one of my lockers had gotten so wet that it would not let me charge in for the next two days. It was the best night of my life, but it was because of my teammates that had been there with me the entire way."

Best Part of Playing Three Sports: "Everything. The feeling of representing your high school, the feeling of being part of a team, the amount of people you become friends with. Knowing that whatever is going on in your life you can just put away for a couple hours every night and do what you love. For me, sports have been a safe haven to let yourself go and find out what you are truly capable of."

Toughest Part of Playing Three Sports: "The toughest part for me when it has come to playing all these sports is the pressure that comes with expectations. I have always put a ton of pressure onto myself for basketball because of how much I have put into the sport, which makes it hard to relax and have fun with. Football was a sport I played relaxed and just to enjoy until an injury steered me away from the sport. When it comes to track and cross country, don’t get me wrong, I love the sports with all my heart, but there are times when you are in the middle of races sucking air just wondering, 'Why am I doing this to myself.?' It has just always been hard for me to have fun with sports until I believe that I have achieved the goals that I have.

Favorite Opponent: "The Clinton cross country team. They helped me make it to state and would always call me 'Big Daddy Gus' anytime they saw me around the course.

Favorite Professional Teams: Miami Dolphins.

Favorite Professional Athlete: Usain Bolt

Favorite College Teams: Wake Forest, Boise State

Cumulative GPA: 4.25

Toughest Individual You’ve Competed Against: "AJ Vukovich from East Troy. He was a three-time player of the year in our conference. I was a freshman and sophomore his junior and senior years. My freshman year, I was given the assignment of guarding him. He was arguably the most athletic player our conference has ever seen. He is now in professional baseball, but people will always remember his accomplishments in high school basketball."

Biggest Challenge of COVID-19: "For me, the toughest part was how much my life got put on hold. Most of our AAU basketball season was canceled, I didn’t get a sophomore track season, and we weren’t able to have much for summer workouts. I had to push myself to find ways to become a better person and athlete, and in the end I truly believe it did."

Most Admired High School Teammate: "It is impossible to choose one. I have played sports with so many different individuals over the last four years. There have been many different kinds of admiration I have had. There have been athletes who have had a great amount of talent in their sport, along with some who have not had as much talent but have given an effort that inspires people. I do want to give a shout out to two of my best friends, Alex and Joey Schmitz, who had one of the toughest scenarios a kid could ever have to go through happen to them on a Friday earlier this fall. Not even 12 hours later Alex cought a touchdown pass and they embraced each other in an instance that brought our whole fan base to tears. They are both incredibly strong and I am proud to call them my friends."

College Plans: "I plan on attending UW-Stevens Point to earn a degree and play basketball. I am currently undecided on what I want to major in, however am looking towards a path of business or education."

Activities Outside of Sports: Hope Squad, Senior Class President, Four-time FBLA state qualifier, Student Council, Drama Club, National Honor Society, Vocal Jazz, Coach Special Olympics Basketball

I Find it Relaxing to: "Hang out with my friends, chill with my cat."

Favorite TV show: The Office

Favorite Movie: Wall-E

Favorite Musical Artists: Quinn XCII, Bryce Vine, Bruce Springsteen

Favorite Subject: Accounting

Favorite Restaurant: Panda Express, Charles de Fromage

Favorite Website: "Hudl. The statistics of sports just blow me away. No matter the sport I could be on there for hours looking at all the different variables a team has.

Other Family Members: Tim, father; Anne, mother; Sophia, sister.