Mater Dei is known for their stellar athletics programs. From the national superpower Boys Football Team to the stellar Girls Tennis and Golf Teams, Mater Dei always brings on the intensity in championships. 

While some student athletes are influenced by a famous athlete, others are inspired by their siblings or other loved ones. Junior Isaih Covarrubias explains who influenced his desire to play soccer.

“My older sister inspired me to start playing soccer because I always grew up watching her play games on the weekends,” Covarrubias said. “Watching her put so much effort and dedication and dedication into something inspired me.”

Senior Jenna Paidosh started playing golf for a similar reason. Along with her parents encouraging her to play golf over the years, she continually works to stay motivated and keep pushing herself to be better.

”My parents encouraged me to play a sport that I could play for the rest of my life, which led me to golf,” Paidosh said. “Golf may not be as exciting as other sports, but as I have matured, I have found a great love for it. [Also], I am naturally a competitive person so I always push myself to be the best player that I can be.”

While starting a sport is one thing, being committed to it from start to finish is the most important factor of being an athlete. Paidosh believes that being able to manage your sport along with school and other extracurricular activities is not always easy.

”A major challenge in being a student athlete [is] balancing sport practices while keeping up with my schoolwork,” Paidosh said. “Golf has evolved into a major part of my identity, and I couldn’t imagine not playing it. It certainly helps that I produce much better scores compared to when I first started, but I love every part of golf, whether it be simple practice or school competition.”

During competitive events, it’s important to stay focused in the game both physically and mentally, which are key factors of playing well. 

“To stay mentally focused during game time, I keep my eye on the ball and keep track of the play that is going on,” Covarrubias said. “When the ball goes out of play, I take that time to recover and think about what I need to do next to help my team.”

Some people may have unique ways of thinking before games that help them keep the right mindset. Sophomore Mia Games is a lacrosse player who prepares for games in various ways. 

“I physically prepare by doing some juggling and more hand eye coordination drills,” Games said. “Mentally I imagine myself as the head chef protecting the goal which is the soup, so no enemy chefs throw in bad ingredients.”

Working together as a team is another important factor when it comes to sports at Mater Dei. Both determination and team inspiration can boost performance and morale in games. Knowing that you are an integral cog in the game and wanting to help your teammates at all costs can propel an athlete to always try harder.

“I think motivation plays a big role when it comes to sports but you also have to be driven and passionate to cross the finish line,” Games said. “I’m a goalie, so one thing that motivates me is that if the ball goes through, all the work my team did would be for nothing.”

No matter how many seasons these athletes have played, everyone will always face challenges throughout the season just as junior Shyler Satina experiences with the Boys Tennis Team.

“I want to be the best version of myself I can be and tennis is a really rewarding sport as you can really feel yourself improve as you play more,” Satina said. “The biggest challenge we faced as a team were the close losses where we all knew we could have done a bit better.”

While having someone to look up to and be inspired by is important, having a personal mantra that motivates you could be the difference between a good player and a great player.

“Someone told me once that every second you play will make you better and better,” Satina said. “So even if you only have 30 minutes to play, that 30 minutes might mean the difference in making or missing the game-winning shot.”