10 Questions with... Paul Rabil

More and more, bullying is an issue almost every kid has to deal with, either in school, on the playground, or on the Internet. In August, the company CustomInk released a survey where 83 percent of teenagers said they had been bullied or teased and 72 percent said they worried about being bullied.

With bullying seemingly everywhere, now's the time to say, "Enough."

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, where organizations like PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center raise awareness and help kids and adults alike stand up to it. And today is Unity Day, where everyone is encouraged to wear orange in support of those who have been bullied and to take a stand against bullying.

One person really excited about Unity Day is lacrosse superstar Paul Rabil. He's part of CustomInk's fourth annual Be Good to Each Other campaign, which raises money and awareness for the National Bullying Prevention Center in part, through custom designed t-shirts. Rabil is one of 20 athletes and celebrities who have designed a shirt with a message of hope and encouragement. His is black with a red hand print and the slogan "Bullying Stops Here."

"It's something that I teach a lot throughout my instructional events," Rabil tells SI Kids. "The character of an athlete transcends from the field into the classroom, into the social life, into your other hobbies. The more attention to detail, doing the right things, doing the little things you do on and off the field, the better well rounded player and person you're going to become. And a lot of that has to do with the way you treat other people."

During our conversation about bullying, Rabil also answered our 10-question personality questionnaire. Check it out below, and be sure to visit the Be Good to Each Other campaign website to learn more about the program, see the "celebri-tees" shirts, and design one of your own!


What time is your alarm set for?

7 a.m.

What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

Hm. Man. I would probably say vanilla.

What was your childhood nickname?

PR. Still is.

If you weren't an athlete, what would you want to do?

I can't imagine not being an athlete. And I think that is kind of an underlying theme you might hear from a lot of professional athletes. It takes a lot of energy and, really, a laser-focus mentality every single day. That fear of not achieving that dream is something that's incomprehensible and not being able to consider yourself or see that come to fruition is probably the reason we all are [athletes].

Do you have any pre-game superstitions?

I say a prayer for good health on both sides of the ball, something that my grandmother taught us, before the National Anthem every game.

What do you do on days off?

I don't have days off. (laughs) But for fun, I'm a big music geek, I like to DJ. And I'm also an aspiring artist. I drew a lot growing up and took art in school — my mom's an art teacher — and I like to do it to kind of free my mind and spend some creative time. I draw and watercolor and stuff like that.

Who is the greatest athlete of all time?

Michael Jordan

Who is your best friend in sports?

The generic answer would probably be my face-off man, because he gets us the ball. But in lacrosse, I would have to say my best friend in lacrosse, currently, at the professional ranks, is Kyle Hartzell [who currently plays defense for the New York Lizards].

What is the last (non-food) item that you purchased?

iPhone 6 Plus

In the movie about your life, who would play you?

Sylvester Stallone. (laughs) The guy's unbelievable, and I grew up watching the Rocky movies.


Photo: NAME/Getty Images (Rabil), courtesy Custom Ink (shirt)