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PICKENS COUNTY—Two Pickens High seniors will soon be looking to perfect their individual crafts at the next level.

Amber Hart and Jeremiah Parker signed letters to continue their athletic careers at Sierra Nevada College and Limestone College respectively.

Parker signs on with the wrestling team, hoping to continue the momentum from his 40 win season in 2013, while Hart plans to join a nationally recognized snowboard team next season.

“I’m so excited,” Parker said. “That feeling that they want you to come play sports for them is incredible. I’ve been preparing for this and I’m ready for it.”

Hart, a national champion in snowboarding, said she was thrilled to learn Sierra Nevada wanted her.

“I was so happy,” Amber Hart said. “I went to a competition in Colorado and learned about Sierra Nevada. I wasn’t sure about it, but when I went there I fell in love with it. Their snowboard team is amazing, and I feel like this gives me the best opportunity to be something one day.”

Hart said her passion for the slopes began on a family vacation and grew from there.

“It started out on a family vacation. I taught myself how to ride that day,” Hart said. “From there I started competing and winning. That sort of gave me the confidence that maybe I could go somewhere with this.”

Parker’s journey has also been a wild ride, as he originally thought he would try to play collegiate football.

“I was originally committed to North Greenville. I was going to try to walk on and play football there,” Parker said. “The Limestone coach wanted to meet with me and he offered me a scholarship. Academic scholarships fell into it as well and I just felt like Limestone was the place to go.”

Parker, who has only wrestled two seasons at Pickens, plans to wrestle heavy weight at Limestone.

“When my senior year came around I really began to devote my time to wrestling,” Parker said. “I got 40 wins under my belt, and that was a lot for a heavy weight. It made me feel like I wanted to wrestle collegiately.”

The senior said he is simply looking forward to the tight knit community at Limestone.

“From what I’ve gathered, Limestone has a very family-oriented team,” Parker said. “I like that. I feel like, to have success as a team, you have to bond as a team.”