Having role models often inspires students to be better people as they share passions, goals and a similar mentality. Numerous SCHS athletes hold sports idols close to them, leaving a lasting impact on the athlete themself wanting to play their sport.
Role models can help students hold themselves accountable by giving them goals to reach along with positions they can later see themselves in. Soccer player junior Sheila Begovic is driven by watching someone play professionally.
“I think it’s just watching someone play at that level and achieving the things that they have. It motivates you to want that for yourself,” Begovic said.
While playing a sport, one’s mental strength is often just as important as physical strength. Volleyball player junior Mateo Chan explained that he looks up to the basketball player Kobe Bryant because of the mentality he had.
“Even though Kobe played basketball, I feel like one of the most important aspects of Kobe Bryant is that he had the mamba mentality, which is always doing your best in a game,” Chan said.
Role models can also help an athlete try new things. Begovic explained how watching her role model, David Beckham, helped her to accomplish a personal milestone.
“Beckham scored an Olympic goal (a goal scored directly from a corner kick). That motivated me to try, and I scored two last year,” Begovic said.
While many athletes have public figures as role models, some, like basketball player senior Nina Llamas, look to family members. Llamas explained that her father is the one who knows her athletic performance best.
“He’s always there to support me in my games, and I think I can really talk to him about anything, especially my problems with the sport because he really understands who I am as a player and what my goals are,” Llamas said.
Along with receiving support, admiring a role model may apply more pressure to perform well as an athlete. Llamas noted that having her dad at her games makes her play harder.
“He’s always been my biggest supporter and whenever he’s at my games, I feel like I have to play to impress him or live up to what he wanted me to become,” Llamas said.
Football, track and basketball athlete senior Jeremiah Karongo was moved by his brother who was the one that got him into basketball, but Karongo now feels as though he has surpassed his brother’s athleticism.
“I followed everything he did and he played basketball, so I started playing basketball and that’s when I got my love for sports,” Karongo said. “I feel like right now, I’m in a higher spot than he was when he was in my grade.”
With many student athletes following in the footsteps of their role models, each one is more encouraged to follow the lead of their own as well. Inspired by Bryant, Chan plans to emulate the athlete’s frame of mind while playing volleyball
“I feel like his perception of his sport, how he always wants to do his best and how he’s willing to put in so much into the sport is how I want to base myself to be an athlete,” Chan said.