For years on end, Summit athletes have been struggling to juggle sports and stay on top of their classes. Each athlete has different ways of enduring their difficulties. Four Summit athletes believe that looking up to professional athletes has improved their performance.
Freshman Jasmine Thomas, who plays JV Volleyball, says she admires the Olympic Gymnast Simone Biles.
“[I admire her] because I used to do gymnastics. She jumps really high, and doesn’t let her height stop her. She’s really inspiring,” Thomas said
Along with many others, Thomas also praises Biles’ athletic abilities and morals.
“Since volleyball is a big sport in my life, I feel like she helps me become better. [Since appreciating her,] I believe I’ve gotten better at my spirit, hyping up my teammates and being more involved,” Thomas said.
In an interview with Child Mind Institute, Bile said “I’ve also had my ups and downs, so I hope people can see that and can relate to that in their everyday life.”
Knowing this, Thomas said that Biles’ mindset has influenced her into becoming a better athlete.
“My weakness is definitely my mental abilities. She has a good mindset and that helps me,” Thomas said.
Sophmore Football player Parker Brown said he looks up to American Football player Saquon Barkley, number twenty-six for the Philadelphia Eagles.
“He’s just very athletic. He’s got a long backstory and he’s very inspiring,” Brown said.
Many athletes acquire certain morals throughout their career that they stick with. Brown believes Barkley’s morals of respect and dignity has helped him better his football performance.
“[To follow his morals,] I dedicate myself to school and sports. I like that he’s a good person on and off the field. He’s nice to everyone [without being] fake, and doesnt let the money get to him,” Brown said.
Brown believes Barkley’s mindset is what helps him with his emotions, which he considers to be his biggest weakness,
“I get angry and lash out, but I try to control it as best as I can. Sequon is a calm and relaxed person, and he doesn’t argue with people. If things don’t go the right way [for him], he doesn’t freak out about it,” Brown said.
Junior Soccer player Hamza Ahmad, said he admires Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso. He now coaches Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Leverkusen, Germany.
“I believe he’s a good coach; he’s calm and collected. He also has a good work ethic and never lets his emotions show on the field,” Ahmad said.
Unlike others, Ahmad’s weakness is control during games. By following Alonso’s morals, he believes he’s gotten better at managing his actions.
“My weakness is not playing physical. Whenever I’m on the field, I try to control my emotions and not snap at the referee, and he helps me towards that,” Ahmad said
In an interview with The Guardian, Alonso talked about the changes of being a coach rather than a player.
“You get to know the players, you start to create some confidence and commitment from them. At the beginning the results were not the best but I had the feeling that a big part of the group was committed to changing things, especially in the defensive part,” Alonso said.
Knowing this, Ahmad understands the importance of Alonso’s coaching style, and how being calm and showing faith in your team helps them all grow.
“He’s calm on the field, and doesn’t show the pressure whenever he’s in tense moments. I try to implement not letting the pressure get to me and just taking a deep breath on the field,” Ahmad said.
Senior Varsity Basketball player Olivia Mantz, looks up to number twenty-two for the Indiana Fever Basketball team, Caitlin Clark. Mantz said she believes Clark has made a big difference in women’s basketball.
“I look up to Caitlin Clark because I feel she made a really big change when it came to women’s basketball. She made a lot of people start watching it and they just have more spectators than ever before and I think that’s really cool that she accomplished that.”
On May 14, Cailtin made her WNBA debut with the Indiana Fevers, which aired with over 2.13 million viewers. (Forbes)
When it comes to physical performance, Mantz truly admires Clark’s skills and mindset. She believes Clark is a humbling and inspiring person, which sparks her interest in Clark more.
“I look up to the ways she plays and her attitude towards her teammates and those around her. I admire her as a person too; she’s very humble. In her interviews, she’s always thanking others and not just talking about herself. I [also] really like her passing, she has done some no-look passes, [so now] I’m a lot more precise with my passes than I was before,” Mantz said
Majority of our students agree that they look up to professional athlete’s mindsets, whether they are still playing or not. They believe that listening to them and acquiring their values has helped them greatly in becoming better athletes, and they hope to learn from their peers as they grow.
