Winter Sports and their roads to success

With winter here, athletes bring the heat to their sport through their commitment and dedication. These athletes showcase that their success isn’t shaped by a single scoreboard, but rather from various amounts of strength, skill and grit they apply to reach their level. 

Focusing on a few winter sports such as wrestling, soccer and water polo, each one introduces different paths to success. Each athlete in their respective sport puts in hard work, from practicing extra on weekends to learning how to balance their school life with their sport, which contributes to various accomplishments in their season. 

Wrestling: When control meets strategy

From having to cut six pounds in a couple of days to finally losing the last two pounds of water weight an hour before the tournament, wrestling demands an athlete’s commitment to be rewarded. Wrestling is one of the many co-ed sports in the Mustangs athletic program, which involves high intensity practice schedules. Consisting of high contact training every day of the week for one to two hours a day, these athletes grow to rely on their teammates and coaches to maintain a positive mentality during their season. 

“Practices are really rough sometimes, especially in this sport [of] high contact and a lot of cardio. You really have to rely on not only your teammates, but yourself, and [push through] to switch your mindset,” varsity senior Emi Yoshii said. “If you put in the time, the effort and the blood, sweat and tears into the sport in practice and in competition, then it’s very rewarding. If you don’t do that, you’re not getting anything back because you didn’t work for it. Your mental state is really important in wrestling, and if you think you can’t do it, you’ve already lost the match.”

Wrestling is a sport where mentality and hard work are essential to thrive, as Yoshii said. Varsity boys wrestler junior Julian Rodriguez views that being successful does not just test physical endurance but also introduces a perspective of future expectations in life.

“I would say wrestling is tough. It’s not easy [but] it’s not difficult either. It’s a tough sport and you have to be ready for it which is what makes it exciting because you even see pros pushing the limits to always stay ahead,” Rodriguez said. “Being successful [in wrestling] is completely different than [other] sport[s] only for the fact that you can’t go anywhere with this, unless it’s [mixed martial arts]. But it’s truly better purely by the fact that it teaches you so much more than self defense.

Soccer: A Big Family 

Eleven individuals on the field at once require unity to work together and succeed as one. Stamina and having chemistry with your teammates are essential in soccer to advance the ball up the field and reach the goal. Both boys and girls soccer highlight the bonds among teammates on and off the field, as shown by their teamwork and communication, which are key to success. 

“I think [soccer] is also really unique because there’s a lot of unity on the team, and I feel like we’re a really big group, so we kind of consider ourselves like sisters.I feel like because it is a lot of players on the field, if one girl doesn’t have the trust with her teammate, that can affect everyone. The lack of trust can affect us as a team [because when] we play together, it will be harder for us to get in a good flow of the game. To get to know your team is to be able to know how to communicate with everyone and to be able to see eye to eye on and off the field”, varsity wing and midfield junior Amy Vasquez.

Similar to girls soccer, boys soccer sees teammates as more than just players; they are also close friends. Being fit and staying in shape is an aspect varsity outside captain senior Dominic Del Toro sees as essential for preparing for the season and games. 

“I think what it takes to be successful is a lot of motivation, not necessarily just from yourself, a lot [of] it comes from your teammates as well. I think Brotherhood also plays a big part. Having a good environment and great teammates around you helps lift you up, especially when you lose or when you make a bad play. I think having great teammates is a big factor, Del Toro said. “Soccer is one of our sports that, you know, you can’t take time off, otherwise it’s just not going to come to you. So I think really taking the time to develop your skills and finding, you know, finding what you’re good at and everything is a big part. 

Girls Water Polo: Communication is key

Water polo is a sport that requires teamwork, stamina and the skill to stay afloat. Communication is an aspect to be able to thrive in water polo, as during games it is hard to hear teammates and coaches through the action of the players.Having a good mindset as well as pushing yourself to the limit is another important part in the sport. 

“For me personally to be successful in water polo is being able to take criticism. Your coaches want you to thrive just as much as [you] want to, “varsity ⅘ side senior Adrianna Pesante said. “When they give me corrections I make sure to apply them right away and make that improvement. This way not only i’d I improve with my ability but also showed the coaches that I care enough to want to be better and able to learn from my mistakes.”