Mitch’s Pitches

Let me pitch you something: there is a driving force stronger than physical capabilities that has a profound effect on an athlete’s performance. I’m talking about pure, authentic, emotions — love, baby.

And by love, I am not just talking about the intense intimacy of two souls in a romantic relationship.

No, I am talking about the type of love where the first thing you buy with that first professional level paycheck is a new home for mom. Or the type of love where your health is in critical condition and you jeopardize your own well being for the sake of you and your teammates to win.

Forget money, love is the ultimate motivation. That’s why you cannot hope to be successful in sports without any type of love.

For those who’ve played, coached or are even a fan of sports, we all have experienced the utter despair of a loss. It’s either we’re flirting with tears of sorrow, or completely losing our minds with unruly anger; there is no in between. However, the anguish of a heartbreaking loss significantly ceases when a loved one comes to our aid with a warm embrace of unconditional acceptance.

Jacobo has played soccer since she was young and the sport has become a way to escape from tense situations.

“Since I was five that’s all I ever played, it’s all I ever loved,” Jacobo said. “It’s a good stress reliever. It’s like a safe place for me.”

Goalkeeper is not the only position this soccer player has knowledge of. When she was 10, she played two other positions on the field, forward and defense.

During a game when she was 12, the team was short a goalie and Jacobo volunteered. From that day, she fell in love with the position.

Coach Adolfo Perez sees how much progress she has made and what she is now accomplishing.

“She’s come a long way since she started to where she is now. She has control of whatever she does and if she works hard she can really go far,” Perez said.

Jacobo worked hard, during the hot summer days, practicing to become a better goalkeeper. Her progression to where she is today took more than just that time. and experience others do not have. She also has fond memories from previous teams she played on. said it takes a lot of focus to balance work and sports, but it just takes time to learn to work with the schedule.

When she was young, she played a long game that had gone into overtime. She said the team was about to go into a penalty shootout, and they kept making goal after goal.

In another instance, Jacobo was unable to play a game for her high school soccer team. The team won the game by penalties, and in that moment, she was very proud to be a part of it.

“It felt good knowing that I’m part of this,” Jacobo said.

Her teammate, Sara Hernandez, describes her as very dedicated to the sport.

“She’s a good goalie coming in out of high school. It’s very difficult; there’s a bigger speed of play and I think that’s what a lot of freshman come in struggling with,” Hernandez said. “I think that as a goalie it’s even harder because these girls take shots like no other, so I think she does pretty good. She can prove she’s getting there and we’re all supporting her.”

It’s the love for the game that provokes such strong emotions after the loss. And it’s the love for another human being that helps us move forward.

Love does not just affect us on an intimate level, but also a physical level.

According to a study by livescience. com, brain scans of people in love showed that there was increased blood flow to regions of the brain associated with motivation. Also, 400 athletes were surveyed and asked whether love enhanced their performance, 55 percent said yes.

Now, as far as romantic love, many have stated that it is a distraction to main priorities, and they’re right, it is a distraction — but only because of the person THEY’RE dating.

That’s why if you’re an athlete trying to find a legitimate partner, it is imperative that he or she is a supportive figure in your life, and not just a constant attention-seeking gold-digger.

The biggest factor in why people play sports is “who or what are you doing it for?”

All you need is love to find out.

Since she started playing at a young age, she has gained knowledge

She looks forward to graduating with a degree in nursing and hopes to get into a Division I school. She