Derek Jeter photographed in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.Photo:Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via APDerek Jeteris reflecting on his high school days.In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE ahead of a ceremony to unveil new baseball and softball fields for young athletes at his alma mater,Kalamazoo Central High Schoolin Michigan, the famed athlete, 49, opens up about what type of student he was years ago.“I was a tremendous student,” Jeter says with a smile. “No, I really was. I couldn’t play sports unless I got good grades.“Highlighting that he had just under a 4.0 GPA in high school, he continues, “My parentswere big on education.““I was born in New Jersey, but I moved to Michigan because my dad was getting his PhD at Western Michigan. My mom was an accountant,” thefather of fouradds. “Education was big for me and my family. I was a good [student].“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Cal Ripken Jr., (left) and Derek Jeter (center right) pose for a photo with Jeter’s parents, Sanderson and Dorothy, sister Sharlee Jeter and her son Jalen Jeter-Martin in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via APAll these years later, after becoming one of the world’s most successful athletes, Jeter sums up getting to see his high school’s baseball fields revamped for future generations to come with one word — “Awesome.“The new fields were made possible throughKalamazoo Public Schools,Elite Companies, Jeter’sTurn 2 Foundationand Cal Ripken Jr.’s nonprofit, theCal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, which provided renovated and reoriented fields, new seating, new dugouts and synthetic turf, according to a press release.“Cal is someone I idolized growing up, being a taller shortstop,” Jeter says. “The work that the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation does throughout the entire country is pretty remarkable.“Adds Ripken Jr., 63, “It’s always exciting for me to come in and open a new field. In our foundation, I think we’ve done 114 of them to this point, there’s always an energy and a newness.“Kalamazoo Central High School’s Jeter Family Field.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via APJeter now hopes that the updated fields will inspire athletes of all ages and backgrounds to be the best players they can be.“You learn a lot of lessons when you play sports. I’m a little biased, but I think baseball’s the greatest game in the world,” the former New York Yankees shortstop says. “I think the one thing that baseball teaches you is to deal with failure. There aren’t too many professions where you can fail 70% of the time and go to the Hall of Fame.““There’s a lot of lessons. There’s setting goals. There’s work ethic,” Jeter adds. “These are lessons I learned on a baseball field. Not everyone’s going to be a professional baseball player or want to be a professional baseball player, but you hope that they learn life lessons from playing sports.“Cal Ripken Jr. (left) and Derek Jeter photographed in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via APAs for Ripken Jr., a former shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, he says, “There’s all kinds of lessons that sports teaches you.““Once you go through the hard work it takes to be good in sports, you learn certain principles or values,” he adds. “I think each person is different when they step on the field, but understanding your role on the field as a team, understanding how to work with others and do it in a teamwork sense, all those things just naturally happen.”
Derek Jeter photographed in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.Photo:Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP
Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP
Derek Jeteris reflecting on his high school days.In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE ahead of a ceremony to unveil new baseball and softball fields for young athletes at his alma mater,Kalamazoo Central High Schoolin Michigan, the famed athlete, 49, opens up about what type of student he was years ago.“I was a tremendous student,” Jeter says with a smile. “No, I really was. I couldn’t play sports unless I got good grades.“Highlighting that he had just under a 4.0 GPA in high school, he continues, “My parentswere big on education.““I was born in New Jersey, but I moved to Michigan because my dad was getting his PhD at Western Michigan. My mom was an accountant,” thefather of fouradds. “Education was big for me and my family. I was a good [student].“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Cal Ripken Jr., (left) and Derek Jeter (center right) pose for a photo with Jeter’s parents, Sanderson and Dorothy, sister Sharlee Jeter and her son Jalen Jeter-Martin in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via APAll these years later, after becoming one of the world’s most successful athletes, Jeter sums up getting to see his high school’s baseball fields revamped for future generations to come with one word — “Awesome.“The new fields were made possible throughKalamazoo Public Schools,Elite Companies, Jeter’sTurn 2 Foundationand Cal Ripken Jr.’s nonprofit, theCal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, which provided renovated and reoriented fields, new seating, new dugouts and synthetic turf, according to a press release.“Cal is someone I idolized growing up, being a taller shortstop,” Jeter says. “The work that the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation does throughout the entire country is pretty remarkable.“Adds Ripken Jr., 63, “It’s always exciting for me to come in and open a new field. In our foundation, I think we’ve done 114 of them to this point, there’s always an energy and a newness.“Kalamazoo Central High School’s Jeter Family Field.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via APJeter now hopes that the updated fields will inspire athletes of all ages and backgrounds to be the best players they can be.“You learn a lot of lessons when you play sports. I’m a little biased, but I think baseball’s the greatest game in the world,” the former New York Yankees shortstop says. “I think the one thing that baseball teaches you is to deal with failure. There aren’t too many professions where you can fail 70% of the time and go to the Hall of Fame.““There’s a lot of lessons. There’s setting goals. There’s work ethic,” Jeter adds. “These are lessons I learned on a baseball field. Not everyone’s going to be a professional baseball player or want to be a professional baseball player, but you hope that they learn life lessons from playing sports.“Cal Ripken Jr. (left) and Derek Jeter photographed in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via APAs for Ripken Jr., a former shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, he says, “There’s all kinds of lessons that sports teaches you.““Once you go through the hard work it takes to be good in sports, you learn certain principles or values,” he adds. “I think each person is different when they step on the field, but understanding your role on the field as a team, understanding how to work with others and do it in a teamwork sense, all those things just naturally happen.”
Derek Jeteris reflecting on his high school days.
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE ahead of a ceremony to unveil new baseball and softball fields for young athletes at his alma mater,Kalamazoo Central High Schoolin Michigan, the famed athlete, 49, opens up about what type of student he was years ago.
“I was a tremendous student,” Jeter says with a smile. “No, I really was. I couldn’t play sports unless I got good grades.”
Highlighting that he had just under a 4.0 GPA in high school, he continues, “My parentswere big on education.”
“I was born in New Jersey, but I moved to Michigan because my dad was getting his PhD at Western Michigan. My mom was an accountant,” thefather of fouradds. “Education was big for me and my family. I was a good [student].”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Cal Ripken Jr., (left) and Derek Jeter (center right) pose for a photo with Jeter’s parents, Sanderson and Dorothy, sister Sharlee Jeter and her son Jalen Jeter-Martin in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP
All these years later, after becoming one of the world’s most successful athletes, Jeter sums up getting to see his high school’s baseball fields revamped for future generations to come with one word — “Awesome.”
The new fields were made possible throughKalamazoo Public Schools,Elite Companies, Jeter’sTurn 2 Foundationand Cal Ripken Jr.’s nonprofit, theCal Ripken, Sr. Foundation, which provided renovated and reoriented fields, new seating, new dugouts and synthetic turf, according to a press release.
“Cal is someone I idolized growing up, being a taller shortstop,” Jeter says. “The work that the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation does throughout the entire country is pretty remarkable.”
Adds Ripken Jr., 63, “It’s always exciting for me to come in and open a new field. In our foundation, I think we’ve done 114 of them to this point, there’s always an energy and a newness.”
Kalamazoo Central High School’s Jeter Family Field.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP
Jeter now hopes that the updated fields will inspire athletes of all ages and backgrounds to be the best players they can be.
“You learn a lot of lessons when you play sports. I’m a little biased, but I think baseball’s the greatest game in the world,” the former New York Yankees shortstop says. “I think the one thing that baseball teaches you is to deal with failure. There aren’t too many professions where you can fail 70% of the time and go to the Hall of Fame.”
“There’s a lot of lessons. There’s setting goals. There’s work ethic,” Jeter adds. “These are lessons I learned on a baseball field. Not everyone’s going to be a professional baseball player or want to be a professional baseball player, but you hope that they learn life lessons from playing sports.”
Cal Ripken Jr. (left) and Derek Jeter photographed in Kalamazoo, Michigan on Nov. 14, 2023.Joel Bissell/Kalamazoo Gazette via AP
As for Ripken Jr., a former shortstop and third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, he says, “There’s all kinds of lessons that sports teaches you.”
“Once you go through the hard work it takes to be good in sports, you learn certain principles or values,” he adds. “I think each person is different when they step on the field, but understanding your role on the field as a team, understanding how to work with others and do it in a teamwork sense, all those things just naturally happen.”
source: people.com
