Build Your Base Blog

What do you love about sports and what do you see as the biggest challenge facing high school athletes today?

I love the family aspect of sports. Many of the sports or activities I participate in all have a similar emphasis, and that is on family. Sports are a place that any athlete can enjoy and build incredible relationships. I feel the biggest challenge that many athletes face today is balancing academics and athletics at the same time. Many coaches preach that you are a student-athlete, which means you are a student before an athlete. This means you must perform well in the classroom to have the opportunity to be on the field, and that is the largest challenge athletes face.

You are involved in a lot of different things in your school. Why? And how do you think that prepares you for your future?

Personally, I am involved in many activities both in school and outside of school. The reason I do all of these activities is to make myself a more well rounded person. It allows me to pick up more skills and make a lot of new friends I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t go out for sports.

What do you plan to major in and why?

I plan to attend SDSU and major in Human Biology with a Pre-Optometry focus. Anatomy and the health field in general has always been an interest for me, and I want to pursue that interest in my future. If possible, I would like to specialize in the Pediatric Optometry field as well. This is because I also really enjoy working with kids and want to surround myself with patients like that.

What does it mean to have a positive influence on younger kids and give an example of how you do that?

For me, having the opportunity to influence young kids is one of the biggest blessings I can imagine. Whether it is kids recognizing you in public or coming up to talk to you about sports, it puts a smile on my face thinking that someone looks up to me the same way I did when I was that age. But, this comes with a responsibility that I have to bear as well. When those kids look up to you, every move you make is being observed and often is replicated by them, so I try to put my best foot forward in every situation.

What is your favorite go to beef meal? How do you feel if you go to practice hungry. Both during and after.

My go-to beef meal is Filet Mignon with garlic mashed potatoes. If I have a request at any restaurant this is my first choice, but very few do it better than my parents at home as well. Nutrition is an extremely important aspect of an athlete’s health and success. Day in and day out, high performance is expected and required in your sport, so fueling your body correctly is one great way you can make sure you are ready to perform at the highest level. If I attend practices on an empty stomach, I often find myself getting tired a lot faster, and overall just not competing at the level I know I should be at. In the same sense, after practice recovery is extremely important because your health after a workout or practice keeps you playing longer, and hopefully injury free.

What advice would you give a freshman as they are entering high school sports?

My biggest tips of advice for an incoming freshman would be to go out for sports even if you are on the fence, work hard in the offseason, and have fun. I was blessed to have mentors who pushed me to be in as many sports as possible, and that paid dividends for my athletic ability, and my friendships grew even stronger with teammates. One of the greatest contributions to my success was working hard in the offseason. If you participated in many sports as I did, there really wasn’t an offseason. But when that opportunity came, I tried my best to utilize the coaching and facilities at my disposal to make me the best athlete I can be. Success is not an accident, and the work few put in during the offseason, shows up during your competitive season. And my final tip is to just have fun. It seems simple, but some of my best memories came from having fun with my teammates and enjoying every moment I spent doing the things I love.