Amy Nielsen has been a frontline supporter within Bixby High School athletics for five years running. Nielsen is in her second year as the booster club president for the boys’ and girls’ high school basketball teams and is also involved with the booster clubs for the softball and soccer teams. Starting next school year, Nielsen will become the booster club president for the Bixby volleyball squad. Nielsen is accustomed to having little to no time at the end of each athletic season with having three kids who play a variety of sports. It’s never easy, but Nielsen admits she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve honestly made some of my best friends from being a part of my kids’ athletics,” Nielsen said. “Working in the trenches with some amazing people who I’m happy to call lifelong friends.”

Nielsen’s oldest daughter, Alyssa, is a three-year starter on the Bixby basketball team while also lettering on the Spartan softball and soccer teams. Nielsen’s youngest daughter, Ashley, is a freshman on the Bixby volleyball squad and Nielsen’s son, Jake, is in junior high.

“The best thing for me is getting to have a front-row seat with all the things my kids are doing,” Nielsen said. “We just have really good parents and really good coaches here in Bixby, which makes it so much easier to support our kids.”

Nielsen is the newest director of Bixby youth basketball, where she was a volunteer for nearly a decade. Since starting her new position, Nielsen’s made it a priority to get the youth program more involved with the high school. Throughout the season, Nielsen will have the youth coaches bring their players to a varsity home game to meet the players and coaches.

“They will stand with the varsity players during the national anthem and sometimes we will have the youth teams scrimmage each other during halftime,” Nielsen said. “It’s so much fun to see how much those little kids look up to the older ones. Also, seeing the older kids understand that and be responsive toward them makes me proud as well.”