Viking magazine’s
YEAR IN REVIEW THE TOP ATHLETES OF 2026 JAKE WANG Page 16
AMAYA BHARADWAJ Page 18
Viking
Volume XX, Issue 5 May 2026
magazine
Letter from the EDITORS
Hi Vikings, summer is finally here! This is our annual year in review issue, where we as a staff vote on who we believe deserves athlete of the year and team of the year. On page 14, you can find our recruitment map—designed by Amanda Goody and Shira Porat—detailing where our collegiate Paly athletes are heading. What’s more, on page 18 we announce the winner of Girls Upperclassmen of the Year, written by Jake Liu and Amanda Goody. “We have so many incredible athletes at this school, so this year it was super hard to pick an athlete of the year, especially for the girls,” Goody said. Additionally, this issue covers the environmental effect of sports, analyzing how much pollution is generated by the sports we love. This story, located on page 28, was written by Carys Olsen and Elena Salvatierra.
Juliet Frick
Greg Goody
“I really think Paly could be doing more when it comes to limiting our carbon footprint, especially when it comes to athletics,” Salvatierra said. In addition to our incredible stories, we are debuting a new leadership team! “Our staff is certainly in good hands for next year,” former Editor-in-Chief Scarlett Frick said. Finally, we decided to do something special for our final issue and you probably noticed it already. While we’re super excited about printing our year end awards issue on glossy paper, we don’t necessarily want our readers to think this indicates a permanent shift for every issue. But we were thrilled to make this year-end issue feel a little more special. Keep up with our socials and our website, @vikingsportsmag on Instagram and X. Have a great summer and Sko Vikes!
Mabel McCarter
Daniel Segev
STAFF OPINION Student-Athletes Need Sleep Too For many student-athletes, team meetings, trainings and practices that run until around 10 p.m. make it difficult to balance sports, homework and sleep. While athletics are an important part of the high school experience, practices that end too late place an unfair burden on athletes who are still expected to succeed in the classroom the next morning. At a competitive school like Paly, students already balance heavy academic schedules, extracurriculars, social lives and other responsibilities. When practices end late at night, some athletes often get home past 10 p.m. By the time athletes shower, eat dinner and begin their homework, it can already be well into the night. For students taking advanced classes or working on long-term assignments, sleep is most commonly the first thing sacrificed. A lack of sleep can affect a student’s focus, mood, performance and overall health. For student-athletes who get home exhausted after a late practice,
it can be hard to be in a good position to study for a test, finish an assignment, or participate fully in class the next day. Even if many athletes are willing to push through it, that does not mean the schedule is fair or healthy. Late practices can also hurt athletic performance. Teams practice to improve, but when athletes are constantly tired from staying up late each day, the benefits of that training or practice begin to diminish. Lack of rest can make players less focused and also increase the risk of injury, especially when athletes are already worn down from school and previous practices. Some would argue that scheduling is difficult with the limited field space and gym availability and that the vast number of teams on campus makes it difficult to give every team an ideal practice time. Coaches and athletic directors have to balance many moving parts and late practices are sometimes the result of limited facilities rather than poor planning.
This does not mean the issue should be ignored though. Schools should make a stronger effort to limit how often teams are forced into late practice slots. Teams at Paly shouldn’t regularly have to practice until 10 p.m. simply because they got unlucky with scheduling. Some Paly teams have practices that last more than three hours and those long practices could be reduced without affecting team performance. If practices for the freshman, junior varsity and varsity teams were each shortened by just 30 minutes, the latest team could finish an hour and a half earlier. That change would give athletes more time to sleep while still allowing teams at Paly to practice and compete at a high level. Athletes should not have to choose between being committed to their sport and taking care of their own health and academics. Commitment to the team matters, but student-athletes are still students and practice schedules should reflect that.
Staff
On Behalf of the Viking Staff,
we would like to thank our sponsors! Alex Comsa
Kaposhilin Family
Amy McCarter
Joachim Family
Anthony Custodi Carol Burnett
Liu Family McCarter Family
Cheung Family
Carol Mueller
Filiz Dogan
Porat Family
Tamlin Connel Kinnan
Schoebel Family
Kaiyu Li
Segev Family
Stephanie and Ryan Frick
Tung Family
Hsu Family
Julie Wissink Wu Family
Viking Vision Statement
Our mission is to create and maintain a magazine that can be a preeminent voice for Paly athletics, celebrating our community through powerful storytelling. We strive to foster a positive culture by giving a platform to diverse voices and challenging readers to think critically.
additional information
Viking Magazine Palo Alto High School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, CA 94301 650-329-3837 Email contact: vikingeds@gmail.com Follow us @vikingsportsmag or go to vikingsportsmag.com for current game updates/scores. Viking, a sports magazine published by the students in Palo Alto High School’s Advanced Magazine Journalism class, is an open forum for student expression and the discussion of issues of concern to its readership. Viking is distributed to its readers and the student body at no cost. The staff welcomes letters to the editor, but reserves the right to edit all submissions for length, grammar, potential libel, invasion of privacy and obscenity.
Editors-in-Chief Juliet Frick, Greg Goody, Mabel McCarter, Daniel Segev Creative Directors Zoe Pashalidis, Shira Porat Copy Editor Michael Wu
Photo Editor Dylan Fujita
Business Manager Ian Cierniak
Online Editors Andy Comsa, Elif Dogan
Head Columnists Carys Olsen, Silas Steele
Multimedia Manager Lucas Wu
Staff Writers Arjun Bharat, Carter Burnett, Tyler Cheung, Scarlett Frick, Natalya Kaposhilin, Andrew Knapp, Jake Liu, Elena Salvatierra, Finnegan Schoebel, Isaac Telyaz, Sarah Thieman
On the cover:
This cover, designed by Juliet Frick and Mabel McCarter, features our two upperclassmen of the year, Jake Wang and Amaya Bharadwaj. Behind them are photos from every Paly sport in 2026. Photos by Jonathan Chen, Dylan Fujita, the Duke of Milpitas, Ryan Muto, Daniel Segev and Lucas Tung.
Y PT S A PAL
Advertising in Viking The staff publishes advertisements with signed contracts providing they are not deemed by the staff inappropriate for the magazine’s audience. For more information about advertising with Viking, please contact Viking by email at vikingeds@gmail.com Printing Services For the first 4 issues, 2,500 copies of Viking are printed by Folger Graphics in Hayward, Ca. For this 5th issue, 500 copies of Viking are printed by aPrintis in Pleasanton, Ca. Logo Font Courtesy of Måns Grebäck
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IN THIS
ISSUE Richard Zhang (‘27) spins off of a defender in a season opener win against Palma High School on Feb. 20. Photo by DANIEL SEGEV
16 Boys Upperclassman of the year 18 Girls Upperclassman of the year 20 Underclassmen of the year 22 Boys Team of the year 24 girls team of the year 26 Sportsmanship award 28 Environmental Endurance 30 summer in motion 34 Varsity to vacancy 36 Bonds Beyond the court 38 built to believe 40 The empty notebook
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Photo by LUCAS TUNG
Dash West (‘29) opens the season with a strong performance against Aragon High School on Feb 23.
Serve
First
@vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 7
Power
Finish
Hannah Oh (‘27) pushes through the final stretch in the SCVAL championship on April 24. Photo by DYLAN FUJITA
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@vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 9
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Photo by JONATHAN CHEN
Rafa Ballagas (‘28) throws a fast curveball against St. Ignatius College Prep on April 4.
Ball
Curve
@vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 11
LET’S REWIND:
a year worth rewatching. By AMANDA GOODY and SHIRA PORAT
he resented t p e r m a e t The dance g at many in m r fo r e p r! Paly spirit, ut the yea o h g u o r h t A MOK events y of KIER urtes
Photo co
“My favo rit dance se e moment from ason wa the 2025 sp -2 to-schoo l rally be erforming at th 026 e backcause it time per was the forming team’s fi togethe lot of ex rst r cite so experien ment and it wa there was just a s suc ce.” — Kiera Mok ( ‘26 h a bonding )
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Girls tennis dominat ed their league and came in first pl ace at the end of the fall season!
Photo court
esy of AMIL Y ZHANG
“My favorite moment has been riding in the van with the team to tennis matches and doing karaoke sessions with them!”—Amily Zhang (‘26)
“My f av was d orite mem e in do finitely be ory this se u a a was e ble overtim ting Hom son es le bond ctric and e! The ene tead ing m it was rgy o s —Ka cey W ment for uch a gre th a ashin gton e team!” t (‘26)
Boys Basketball fe lt the energy from their bench, makin g up fun and inventive chants to motivate their teammates! Photo by DANIEL SEGE
V
“My favorite memory from this season was beating Los Altos 13-4 in the SCVAL League cham ps game. It w as super satisfying to beat them fo r the second year in a row .” —Maeva Pa z (‘26)
Girls field hockey strengthened their connection and enjoyed team bonding events, especially their froyo nights after games! Photo courtesy of CHARLOTTE BARCLAY
Girls water p olo had a su ccessful season, finis hing in first place in the league. ir Photo court
esy of MAE
VA PAZ
“My favorite m emory was fro m our Halloween pra ctice because we got to dress up and o ur coach gave us candy!” —Charlotte Ba rclay (‘26)
@vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 13
&
signed SEALED
These are the talented Paly athletes who have decided to continue at the next level!
Design by AMANDA GOODY and SHIRA PORAT
Amaya Bharadwaj “I’m super excited to start my track career at Stanford because it’s been a childhood dream of mine. Also not that many Indian girls run D1, so it’ll be super cool to represent them at such a high level.”
CROSS COUNTRY
Kailia Leming FLAG FOOTBALL
“Next year I’m excited to meet all of my new teammates. I’m most excited about playing on the only D1 team on the west coast, because I’ll be playing with and against the best of the best!”
Marley Shumaker
VOLLEYBALL
“I’m most excited for being in a completely different place while also living on my own. I’m also excited to be able to play volleyball at a higher level and learn new techniques in the sport.”
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Natalie Dymmel A C
“I’m excited to be a part of the athletic community and have R built-in best friends. School is important, but the relationships last longer than the accomplishments, so I’m glad I have the O S opportunity to go through college with my teammates.”
SE
Ian Johnston
Fallon Porter
Areet Rao
“I’m most excited to play in the Boston area and meet my new teammates!”
BA S
“I’m most excited to be able to pitch at the next level and meet new teammates.”
R SOCCE
TER POL O WA
“I’m excited to at the higher M IM ING playlevel make SW & newandcollege friends.”
A LL B E
D A “I’ve heard nothing but good things about the program and N know a lot of people on the team—the people make the place! I’m excited to be part of such a supportive family which will C help me grow as a dancer.” E
Arabella Guinle
S O C C E R
Yara Chaib
“Next year, I will still be recovering from an injury, so I’m most excited for the team environment. I will have a built in support system that I will undoubtedly need for navigating college life. I’m also excited for the interconnectedness that all athletic teams have at Hopkins!”
Kevin O’Brien
“I’m most excited to build relationships with all the players and start this new exciting chapter of my life.”
FOOTBALL
Carter Bader
“Next year I’m excited to meet all of my new teammates. I’m also excited to expeirence a new environment and balance both academics and BASEBALL baseball.”
Parker Castro
SOCCER
“I’m most excited about being part of a group of like-minded student athletes. Both my soccer and my education are very important to me and Haverford is a place that takes both of those things seriously while emphasizing an honor code that aligns with my values.”
Romy Kirby I
Dorin Flynn “I’m most excited to make new friends and meet all of my new teammates.”
SWIMMING
R OW
G N
“I am super excited to work my way up to being a vital part of the team and to experience a college D1 swim team.”
F OO
L T BA
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Jake Wang
“I’m most excited to live in another part of the country and make friendships with my teammates.”
BOYS UPPERCLASSMAN OF THE YEAR By DYLAN ROBINSON and LUCAS WU
Senior varsity boys football and basketball captain Jake Wang has made a name for himself on the field and the court.
JAKE WANG
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ake Wang, Paly senior and captain of the boys varsity basketball and football team, has been named boys upperclassmen of the year. Starting on JV for basketball and football as a freshman, Wang has put in countless hours of work and dedication to work his way up to varsity and make a name for himself. Throughout that process, he developed into not only a standout athlete, but also one of the leaders of Paly athletics. “I’ve worked extremely hard these past few years so it means a lot to be honored like this because I’m proud to be a part of and represent these Paly teams,” Wang said. “Paly has had such a rich history of talented athletes, so I’m happy to join that list.” For Wang, the recognition is not just about one season, but about the work he has put in over the course of his high school career. In part, Wang’s success also came from his ability to grow as a multisport athlete. The toughness and physicality he developed on the football field carried over directly to basketball. As a senior power forward and captain, he used his strength and discipline to make a major impact in the paint. His rebounding, physical defense and competitive edge helped him earn second-team all-league.
Still, Wang’s journey to this type of recognition didn’t happen overnight. As a freshman, Wang spent his entire season on the JV football team waiting to get pulled up to varsity. At the time, he watched and learned from other wide receivers in front of him until he was able to showcase his skills. “My freshman and sophomore years took patience,” Wang said. “I stayed ready until my chance came on varsity.” On the basketball court, Wang used his physicality learned from football to dominate in the paint. As a senior power forward and captain, he earned second team allleague honors for his impact on the court. “Having learned how to use my body to leverage others, I was able to grab a lot of rebounds that I most likely would not have gotten without having played football,” Wang said. According to head basketball coach, Jeff Lamere, Wang’s impact went beyond his status. “Jake is as good a competitor as I have ever coached,” Lamere said. “He has the heart of a lion and never backs down from a challenge. He gave our team the confidence that they could beat any opponent.” More than anything, Lamere said Wang set the tone for others around him. “One of the most difficult things to coach is effort and when your best player brings that effort day in and day out, he carries the rest of the team with him,” Lamere said. “He set a standard for everyone to live up to.”
Photos courtesy of JAKE WANG
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W a n g ’ s sity captain and wide receiver; he is comi m p a c t mitted to Bowdoin to continue his football went be- career at the college level. yond talent For Wang, the road to Bowdoin wasn’t alone. He set just handed to him. It took four years of an example for proving himself and his commitment younger players stands as a testament to the work he put in and earned the trust throughout his time at Paly. of his teammates through “Football gives me purpose and somethe way he worked thing to work towards,” Wang said. and competed every day. Football has also benefitted His effort, toughness Wang beyond athletics. and consistency “It also gives me made him one of community, friendthe players othships and an opFootball gives me ers looked to portunity to go to throughout a great school.” purpose and something the season. However, to work towards... Younger as his time at players on Paly comes to community, friendships both teams a close, Wang and an opportunity to often looked hopes to be reup to Wang membered as go to a great school. not just for more than just a how he played, great athlete. but for how he “I hope others carried himself on remember me as a and off the field. hardworking, consisWhile the football tent player who always season didn’t go the way showed up and was a good Wang and his teammates had teammate,” Wang said. hoped, he didn’t let that carry over. He Over four years, Wang built a reputabounced back in the winter, helping lead tion for being dependable and competithe basketball team to a 16-10 record and tive. He stood out not only for his talent, a 7-5 league finish, which landed the team third place. The Vikings went on to reach the CCS semifinals, capping off a strong run to end the season. Still, football has always been Wang’s main focus. A var-
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—Jake Wang(‘26)
but for the consistency and toughness he brought every season. He was the kind of player who competed hard and pushed others to do the same. This type of reliability is hard to come by and it’s a big reason why losing a player like him is something both programs will have to adjust to. Looking back, Wang had countless memories and relationships over his four years at Paly. “My favorite football memory was winning the CCS championship sophomore year and my favorite basketball memory was beating Christian Brothers in the CCS playoffs,” Wang said. Together, they show the impact he had in both programs and the role he played in some of Paly’s biggest athletic moments during his time at the school. In the end, Wang leaves behind more than strong performances, he leaves the example of a captain whose consistency, toughness and competitiveness made him one of Paly’s top athletes.
HARPER SKEY
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Photo courtesy of HARPER SKEY
HONORABLE MENTION
s an honorable mention for upperclassman of the year, Paly junior Harper Skey had a season that ended on the national stage as Skey and his partner Reid Kawaja took home the Men’s U17 double title at the US Rowing Youth Nationals. For Skey, the championship was especially meaningful because it showed how much progress he had made in just one year. “The year before that I got fifth in the same event and then coming back and getting first was a big thing for me,” Skey said. On top of that, the pair set the fastest course time ever recorded in the U17 double, which made the moment even more memorable.
“Just becoming the fastest guys ever in the U17 double was pretty big for me,” Skey said. Part of what made the title special was the size of his program. Redwood Scullers’ men’s side has around 10 athletes, far smaller than most programs that carry 100 to 200. “Our men’s program is really small, much smaller than a lot of other men’s programs, we don’t have that much depth,” Skey said. For a smaller group to compete at that level and come out on top takes dedication and many hours of work. Rowing demands a lot from its athletes. Skey, who used to swim competitively, trains around 20 hours a week. According to Skey, while rowing may not be as
physical as contact sports, it is one of the hardest workouts out there, as it requires both strength and mental toughness. For Skey, the title meant more than just a win. “It really taught me a lot and gave me a new opportunity forward,” Skey said. “It just gave me a new sense of confidence.” As a junior, Skey’s journey as a rower still has much more ahead of him. In addition to winning a national title, Skey is looking forward to hopefully competing at the collegiate level. Winning a national title was the goal, but proving how much he has grown as an athlete meant just as much and with more time left at Paly, he still has plenty of opportunities ahead in the year to come. @vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 17
GIRLS UPPERCLASSMAN OF THE YEAR From record-breaking races to discovering a new sport, two Paly seniors transformed dedication, resilience and leadership into opportunities to compete at the next level.
By AMANDA GOODY and JAKE LIU Photos courtesy of AMAYA BHARADWAJ and KAILIA LEMING.
AMAYA
BHARADWAJ S
tanford University recruit and current Paly senior, Amaya Bharadwaj, is one of the standout track runners on the girls varsity track cross country team. Bharadwaj started on the team as a freshman and quickly climbed her way to the top, becoming one of the best distance runners in the country. Her success as an athlete wasn’t given to her, it’s the result of her persistence, growth and commitment to constant improvement. “In my journey from my freshman year to now, I feel I have improved a lot,” Bharadwaj said. “My freshman year I ran a 5:20 mile and now my mile PR is 4:47.” Similar to many athletes, Bharadwaj did not begin her career at the top. Instead, she steadily built herself into an elite competitor, using each season to keep improving. “I probably started the slowest my freshman year and I was never that good from the beginning,” Bharadwaj said. “I had to work really hard my freshman, sophomore and junior year to be here today.” Bharadwaj’s work has allowed her to improve to a whole new level. But that level is not achieved without a goal in mind. “What motivates me to keep improving is
that you can’t get hung up on one PR one time, because there’s always a goal you want to achieve,” Bharadwaj said. “That is why I love running because you can just keep improving.” That mindset paid off this season in an enormous way. At one of the biggest meets in the country, Arcadia, Bharadwaj delivered a performance that cemented her place as one of the best runners Paly track and field has ever had. “My favorite moment of this season was this weekend,” Bharadwaj said. “I set the CCS record in the 3200 meter [two miles] which is a big deal to me because our record has been in place for 40 years and I broke it at Arcadia, which is a really big meet with lots of spectators. I was really proud to do that and especially on such a big stage.” While her senior season brought major success, Bhardwaj’s journey was not without challenges. Even after a strong junior year, she felt that she had not reached her full potential, which only pushed her to elevate her training and mindset. “I faced my biggest challenge last year: junior year,” Bharadwaj said. “I had a pretty good year, but still by the end I wanted to hit my PR because I hadn’t run 4:47 yet. I felt I was racing pretty badly even though I was in shape to run faster, so that really motivated me to train harder for my senior cross country season. This definitely paid off because I made it to Nike Cross nationals and I got 20th.” As one of the team’s leaders, Bharad-
THIS IS YOUR DECK
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waj has taken on the responsibility of supporting younger runners, especially those fACEing the same struggles she has understood personally experi-
support system for helping her stay grounded and motivated. “My sister is my biggest supporter because whenever I have a big or small race, she always watches the live stream, tracks my results and texts me after,” Bharadwaj said. As her high school career comes to a and close, Bharadwaj reflects on her faenced. vorite moments at Paly. “Being a leader on my “What I’ll miss the most team means a lot to about Paly is all the girls me because I feel I on the team I run with can help freshmen before races,” BhaI love running with what I strugradwaj said. “I’ve gled with when I grown so close because I can just was a freshman,” to them in such a keep improving. Bharadwaj said. short amount of “I had really bad time and the sis—Amaya anxiety before terhood of being Bharadwaj (‘26) my races and I on a team togethsee some teamer, especially for mates struggle with cross country means that so to help them the world to me. Since out I play music, make cross country is super jokes, just cheer up their painful, you go through so overall mood to redirect their much during a race and it’s very anxiety.” tiring, but having your teammate there In her time at Paly, Bharadwaj has learned to support you means a lot.” that success is not just about physical abiliSenior William Xue has been a teammate ty, but also the mental approach an athlete and friend of Bharadwaj’s since freshman takes. year. Xue has experienced her work eth“What I’ve learned about myself is that I ic firsthand, noting that her commitment perform my best when I’m just having fun, to excelI’m not stressed and I’m calm and relaxed before a race,” Bharadwaj said. “This is even applicable to academic pressures.” Off the track, Bharawadj credits her
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lence extends far beyond the track and into the classroom. “Amaya’s character is defined by her incredible drive and determination,” Xue said. “Whether she is putting in the effort to study for a test or leading the pack at athletic practices, she consistently performs to the best of her abilities. She never misses a workout, often running on her own even when school practice isn’t in session and maintains that same relentless focus during every meet.” However, Xue emphasizes that this intense competitive drive is balanced by a deep-seated empathy for those around her. “As a friend, she is genuine, caring and consistently takes the initiative to catch up,” Xue said. “Her selfless nature also shines through in athletics, sometimes she’ll sacrifice the intensity of her own pace or warmups to run alongside me. Whether as a friend or a teammate, she prioritizes others’ well-being over her own personal benefit.” Overall, Bharadwaj’s journey has led her to become one of the most outstanding runners in the country and she is excited for the opportunity to continue striving for more at Stanford University.
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KAILIA LEMING
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HONORABLE MENTION
ailia Leming, Paly senior and multi-sport athlete, will be playing Division I flag football at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Her journey through high school athletics has been marked by growth and a willingness to embrace new opportunities. “My journey from my freshman year to now has been long, but very memorable,” Leming said. “I started out on varsity cheer and track my freshman year. For the past four years I’ve done varsity track and field, improved a lot and went to CCS my sophomore and junior year.” While track was initially Leming’s primary focus, her path took an unexpected turn when she decided to try flag football during the teams inaugural season her junior year. “With all my track background, I always thought that I’d go to college for track,” Leming said. “My junior year I started flag football and never thought it would go anywhere but now after playing for two years and joining a club program, I’ve fallen in love
with the sport.” Leming’s ability to evolve and adjust as an athlete reflects the mindset that has driven her athletic success. “What keeps me motivated is reaching my goals,” Leming said. “I always set goals for myself to reach to keep myself constantly improving. I strive to get better because I always want to be the best that I can be.” One of Leming’s goals is to embrace her role as a leader, both through her performance and her presence as a teammate. “Being a leader on my teams means setting the example, being not just a good player but a good teammate,” Leming said. “Knowing people are watching what I’m doing means acting right and helping others improve.” Leming is looking forward to making history as one of the first players to play on the flag football team. She continues to improve her skills every single day @vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 19 and cannot wait to get started as soon as possible.
N E M S S A R L A C YE R E E D H N T U F O Jordan Johnsson R RTE CA y B
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oming off of his most recent race, sophomore, Jordan Johnsson has set the record for the fastest 100-meter time for anyone who has ever attended Palo Alto High School. Johnsson has been making a lot of steady progress this track season, gradually decreasing his time as the season has advanced. At the Arcadia Invitational on April 10 and 11, Johnson was able to surpass the record he had held from a week prior. He clocked in at a speedy time of 10.44 seconds. Previously, his personal best was 10.49. It is important to note that Johnsson’s growth d i d n ’ t just start this year, but from years of training outside of school competitions. Growing up, Johnssson wasn’t directly involved in track, but in soccer. Johnsson admitted that he didn’t fully commit to track until the beginning of the season this year. It wasn’t until Johnsson realized how impressive he was that he knew he had what it took to do track. “I would say this year is really my first year taking track seriously and really trying to improve my running,” Johnsson said. “I think the jump from freshman year to this year was due to me showing up a bit more and my physical growth.” Like a lot of people at a young age, Johnsson was often influenced by what
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he saw on TV. Whenever he would watch sports, he was very captivated by whatever athlete was breaking records and pushing themselves to the limit. When the 100 meter race came on, Johnsson was inspired by the Jamaican sprinters that were able to steal the show. “Watching Jamaican sprinters on TV has motivated me a lot to continue the sport,” Johnsson said. Johnsson also prioritizes his diet as much as he can; he knows that eating right can improve his performance dramatically on competition days. Johnsson insists on sticking to the same m e a l plan on the day of the meet. The purpose in doing so is in an attempt to ensure his ability to be at the top of his game when it comes to race time. “My workout routine consists of eating well, so I try to eat the same foods every single meet that I have in the morning,” Johnsson said. Johnsson has been steadily improving throughout the 2026 track season, continuously one-upping himself at each and every track meet. Because of his performance, he attributes a good amount of his success to his healthy eating habits. Eventually, he wants to reach his pre-season goal—a swift time of 10.42 seconds. Johnsson has also learned the importance of stretching and warming up
Watching Jamaican sprinters on TV has motivated me a lot. —Jordan Johnsson (‘28)
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Sophomore Jordan Johnsson’s historic track season sets high expectations for his future.
before races. This season, Johnsson has witnessed many of his teammates experience season-ending injuries. In track, the most common injuries are shin splints, hamstring injuries, muscle strains, tightness in the legs and severe muscle spasms. Johnsson has developed a pre-workout routine before every meet to ensure he avoids injuries and is ready to perform when the opportunity presents itself. “Some advice I would give to anybody joining track and field or anybody trying to improve is to make sure to stretch and not get injured and to also create a routine for your days you have meets,” Johnsson said. As this season comes to a close, Johnsson looks to continue his steady improvements in order to move towards success. For Johnsson, success moving forward means accomplishing his season goal and improving his abilPhoto ities as a runner courtesy of and teammate.
JORDAN JOHNSSON
Akina Ogawa
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SCVAL finals champion, which allowed her to advance to the next level of her professional career as a tennis player. “For my SCVAL final match, I lost the first set but I didn’t give up,” Ogawa said. “I knew I wasn’t playing my best game, but I tried to focus on my footwork and reset.” Growing up, Ogawa was training constantly in her best attempt to become the player she wanted to be. With Keys’ story in mind, Ogawa was a l w a y s chasing a side of herself that would make her feel like she had achieved her full potential. Looking back now, Ogawa references her family, particularly her mom, as a major influence on her career today. Her mom, who attended Brown University, participated in D1 tennis as a student. “I would thank my mom the most for really pushing me because she’s always been there for me,” Ogawa said. “She’s the one who’s mainly on the court with me and taking me to tournaments, too.” Ogawa also mentioned that scenery plays an important role in performance. The two states that held competitions were Texas and California. She stated that the contrast in weather impacted her level of play because of the climate and temperature around her. “In Texas, it was really windy, so I definitely had to adjust to that kind of weather,” Ogawa said. “I mean like it’s windy there, but there’s also a highe r
I would thank my mom the most for really pushing me because she’s always been there for me. —Akina Ogawa (‘29)
elevation in Texas too, so I’m always like restringing my rackets.” Location had a major effect on the players, which made Akina alter her technique to adjust to her surroundings. In the end, Ogawa’s achievements came from hard work and a little push from the people close to her. She was able to check off many goals she wanted to achieve from when she held a racket for the first time. Moving forward, she looks to continue her consistent improvement by maintaining steady progress to lead her to college.
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ast January, the highly accomplished tennis star Madison Keys was able to complete her comeback win in the 2025 Australian Open. She was able to rally after being down 30-15 early on in the contest. She showed a lot of resilience and confidence in what was the most important match in her life. This is just one of the many moments that inspired freshman Akina Ogawa to pick up a tennis racket for the first time. Ogawa was motivated by what Keys had accomplished, including what she was able to achieve from the first half of her career. Ogawa started to play tennis around the same time Keys had reached the 2017 US Open final. “I’m really inspired by Madison Keys because of her resilience on the court and how she stays focused without frustration,”Ogawa said. “Sometimes I try to copy her success by mirroring her mindset during matches.” Some matches were closer than others, but when in doubt, Ogawa was able to channel a sense of clarity to avoid the possibility of a loss. “I learned that I really need to focus on my mental game because sometimes when I find myself struggling or like when I’m down, my game goes down too,” Ogawa said. Today, Ogawa has numerous accomplishments from her ongoing athletic career at Palo Alto High School. Arguably the most impressive one is Ogawa going seven for seven in all the matches she participated in during her freshman year. Going into the playoffs, Ogawa was able to peel back many layers and use the progress she made in the regular season throughout the postseason. She was able to achieve the title of
Freshman Akina Ogawa had an impressive start to her Paly tennis career this fall season.
Photo courtesy of GITANJALI JAIN
BOYS TEAM of the YEAR
TENNIS
A truly historic 2025-2026 campaign from the boys tennis team has led them to be our selection for boys team of the year.
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t was quite the historic season for the boys tennis team, a season that included major improvements and lots of new talent. After having a very poor season last year and finishing 1-13, the team entered the season with a strong determination to turn things around. Overall, they are 6-1, along with a current record of 3-0 in the league. That motivation showed immediately, with the team handling weaker opponents with complete dominance and control.
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By ANDY COMSA and ISAAC TELYAZ
have been crucial to the team’s success. “I think that sophomore Arnav Pendse has really improved since last Var- year,” Muralidhala said. “Also, Jack Leighsity tennis ton, who is new to our team, has been player and junior, Azad playing really well this season. I think he’s Muralidhara was a key player on the team undefeated. Finally, our freshmen are all both this year and last year and believes playing really well as well.” Senior Nuri Hafizi also highlighted the that this season was a huge step in the impact of two standout freshmen right direction. who were able to make a “What we did really well quick and powerful imthis year was take pact. care of bad teams “We have two without makfreshmen and ing it close,” one of them Muralidhara has even said. “We needed to send played on T h i s Lucas Tung, our captain, the nationability to al team in concisely off to college with a lasting the Philhandle legacy of i p p i n e s ,” weaker Hafizi said. opponents greatness.” “They’re early on both rewas key ally good. to creating Other teams significant didn’t expect momentum them, so they and confiweren’t able to dence, setting prepare for them. the tone for the rest They’ve kinda been of the season. our secret weapons.” One of the major reaThe presence of these sons for the team’s success has been the new additions to the team’s ros- high-level players has had a ripple effect ter. Whether it’s someone who is brand throughout the team, strengthening both new to the team or someone who has singles and doubles play. “It pushes some of our more experialready had a bigger role, these changes
—Azad Muralidhara (‘27)
Photo courtesy of KAREN AMBROSE HICKEY
Photo by LUCAS TUNG 22 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com
HONORABLE MENTION
enced players down a little bit on the roster, which is actually good,” Hafizi said. “We get to play doubles together and since we already have a lot of built-in chemistry, it gives us a big advantage.” With talent playing a role in their success, another key characteristic was their chemistry. Players consistently pointed to their close relationships as the foundation for their success. “We’ve done a really good job staying close,” Hafizi said. “We’ve had a lot of team dinners and spent a lot of time together outside of practices. That’s been really important for our season.” The off-court interactions were imperative for improving the team’s chemistry, especially in a sport that is often seen as individual. “Tennis is an individual sport when you’re playing singles, but as a team, we find a way to come together,” Hafizi said. “We’ll have eight courts going at once and if one person wins a game, everyone gets really hype.” Some of the most memorable moments of this season came from these bonding experiences. “My favorite moment of the year so far was getting food at Chipotle after our dub against Bellarmine at the Bay Area Classic tournament in Feb,” Muralidhara said. “That was a good bonding experience for our team and it allowed the upper class men to get to know the freshmen better.” However, the team also had many areas for growth. While building high energy before the game was easy, maintaining the same amount of energy throughout the matches proved to be a major challenge. “I think that we have a lot of energy leading up to matches, but we could use a lot more energy during the matches,” Muralidhara said. Injuries also played a key role in their season’s struggles. According to Hafizi, staying healthy was one of
the biggest obstacles that the team faced. “One of the leading factors as to why we haven’t reached our maximum potential—even though we’ve done very well— was injuries, “ Hafizi said. “We’ve had over five injuries this season from some of our top players and it’s hindered our ability to win to our maximum potential.” Several key players, including top singles and double competitors, missed significant time due to injuries that could’ve easily been avoided. Despite these setbacks, the team continued to perform at a high level and remain competitive deep into the season. With only a few matches remaining, the team has maintained a strong record and is extremely focused on finishing the year on a high note. “We’re near the end of our season, we only have a few more matches to go including a couple more hard matches, but we’ve been doing really well so far and we’re trying to keep up our winning streak,” Hafizi said. Looking further than just individual memories, the team’s significant improvement came from real changes in the program. New players and coaches brought the energy, helping reset expectations from last season. Additionally, the fight to send off seniors the right way was a key motivator for some. “We felt like we needed to send Lucas Tung, our captain, off to college with a lasting legacy of greatness,” Muralidhara said. With a strong mix of experienced leadership, emerging talent and unmatched team chemistry, the boys tennis team has not only improved its record but found drastic success. The team proved that success isn’t only measured by wins, but also the long-lasting culture that it creates.
TRACK AND FIELD
The Paly boys track and field team delivered a strong season defined by record-breaking performances and a culture of selfless team play.
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he Paly boys track and field team put together a strong season marked by record-breaking performances and a culture of selfless team play. Athletes stepped up to fill gaps and compete in unfamiliar events, giving the Vikings the depth needed to stay competitive throughout the year. Senior varsity track and field athlete Liam Johnson joined the team this year and instantly recognized how many people have been stepping up. “A lot of people have stepped up this season in taking on events they usually don’t run in order to get us the points at meets and that’s been super key to our success,” Johnson said. That willingness to sacrifice individual comfort for the group’s success became a key attribute of the season. Practice commitment was consistently high and the results showed during meets. “Our commitment at practice was really strong,” Johnson said. “And at the end of the day, we ran fast, jumped far and threw far.” Sophomore Jordan Johnsson had a remarkable individual season as well. He shattered the school record in the 100m, a significant accomplishment at just his second year of varsity competition. Injuries proved to be the team’s biggest obstacle, which limited depth in relays and across multiple events at key points in the season. Varsity track and field athlete and junior Owen McGraw sustained a major injury to his hamstring and has been out for a great amount of the season. “I think we could have done a better job at not being injured,” McGraw said. Despite this, the team kept its focus and found memorable moments along the way, including a 4x400 relay run at the CCS Invitational and a post-practice fountain run to Stanford on a hot day. For a group defined by its commitment and versatility, this season laid a solid groundwork heading into next year. Photo by TODD TOBUKO @vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 23
GIRLS TEAM of the YEAR
Swim and Dive
The girls swim and dive team was named team of the year for its consistent performance, hard work and strong team support throughout the season. By ELIF DOGAN and DYLAN FUJITA
he Girls Swim and Dive team’s success is not defined by one race or one meet, but by a season of consistency and determination that remained dominant throughout the years. After hours of relentless hard work during practice and constant support from the swimmers, the Vikings were able to exceed expectations. Junior swimmer Sabrina Meyers believes that capturing the SCVAL league title for the sixth straight year while remaining undefeated for the second year in a row is their greatest accomplishment. “One of the biggest successes we’ve had with the team is our hard work during practice,” Meyers said. “We try our best to support and uplift each other during hard sets and I think that hard work really shows in our success at meets.” After losing plenty of seniors last year, the Vikings struggled to regain their momentum and start this season off strong. Besides the loss of experienced veterans, they struggled to create connections with new swimmers, which made their communication, support and overall unity weaker at the start of the season. “A major challenge we faced was with really connecting with our new teammates and showing what Paly swim means to us,” Meyers said. Over time, those early challenges helped the team grow closer, turning uncertainty into an opportunity to Photos by DYLAN FUJITA redefine their identity as a team. Senior swimmer Romy Kirby said the team responded by changing its mentality from the very beginning of the season. “We reset the mindset,” Kirby said. “Instead of focusing on last year, we focused on effort in practice and building team culture from day one.” That approach helped set the tone for 24 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com
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We always focus on the next event or meet, criticism only holds you back. — Hannah Oh ‘27
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the remainder of their season. Kirby noted that the teams’ success came from how consistently they approached each day. “This season felt consistent and unified,” Kirby said. “We showed up every day and competed w i t h confidence.” That early struggle became a turning p o i n t rather than a setback. Instead of allowing a slow start to define their season, the Vikings leaned into communication and accountability to strengthen their team culture. Building chemistry with younger swimmers and setting a tone for the season became just as important as training times or meet results. “We communicate with each other,” Meyers said. “It is so important to talk
things out and let others know how you are feeling. We understand the stress that comes with being a swimmer and juggling other things.” Being able to understand what teammates are going through helps create a more connected environment. That trust between the players carried over into practice, where swimmers constantly pushed one another while also knowing when teammates needed encouragement. Varsity swimmer and junior Hannah Oh emphasized on the importance of having the ‘next play’ mentality. “We always focus on the next event or meet because holding on to the setbacks and the criticism only holds you back,” Oh said. Kirby echoed that same mindset, saying the team always looked ahead rather than dwelling on errors. “We stayed focused on the next race and didn’t dwell on mistakes,” Kirby said. Leadership also played a major role, as it was expected from each player to be a valuable leader. “Leadership plays a big role in maintaining positivity and support,” Meyers said. “When one person leads and
HONORABLE MENTION
cheers everyone on, others join in. It helps everyone know we’re all in it together.” Oh also emphasized the team’s collective responsibility. “We like to say that everyone has some sort of leadership, whether you are an underclassman or an upperclassman,” Oh said. “That’s how a strong team bonds together.” If one swimmer brought enthusiasm to the deck, others followed. If someone was struggling, teammates noticed and responded. Leadership became a habit within the team. The Vikings were also willing to be honest with themselves when expectations slipped. According to Meyers, difficult practices often served as reminders that the team needed to refocus. “Having bad practices made us snap back into place,” Meyers said. “We realized what was really happening and tried to improve.” Kirby said the moments of adversity they experienced helped to sharpen their focus rather than lose confidence. “Some rough practices and meets forced us to refocus and hold each other accountable,” Kirby said. The Vikings recognized that successful seasons are rarely perfect. What mattered to them was how quickly they responded. Again and again, the Vikings showed that they could correct themselves before those moments became trends. At the same time, the season was not built only on pressure and
competition. According to Oh, many of the strongest memories came from smaller moments away from the pool deck. “People look forward to the small enjoyable things, like cheering during practices or bonding after meets,” Oh said. “It makes people actually want to be a part of the team.” Those moments gave the season balance. Enjoying teammates, celebrating progress and spending time together after meets helped turn hard work into something sustainable. It also explains why the Vikings maintained strong energy so consistently. “I haven’t been on a team like this where everyone is so supportive of each other,” Meyers said. “We will always have people cheering for each other, whether it is during practice or meets and that is really special to the team as a whole and me.” That attitude not only carried the team through challenges but established a standard for what a complete and well-connected program can achieve. By the end of the season, the Paly girls swim and dive team had shown why it remained as one of the strongest programs on campus. The Vikings combined discipline and chemistry in a way few teams could match. Their success was not based on one star swimmer or one defining meet. It came from a roster, where every swimmer mattered and every performance added to the team’s success.
FLAG FOOTBALL
From 0-10 to league champs, Paly’s flag football team redefined its program.
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aly’s flag football team entered the fall determined to rewrite their narrative from last year. After finishing 0-10 just one season ago, they drastically improved this season, finishing 16-4. In just the program’s second season, the Vikings transformed into one of the top teams in the area, claiming the SCVAL league championship title. Paly also qualified for the first-ever CCS flag football postseason, earning a spot in the Division I bracket as the top seed. For a program coming off a winless debut season, the turnaround was one of the most impressive Paly has ever seen. Sophomore Soko Mataele states how the team embraced a new mentality focused on discipline and accountability. “We didn’t let the 0-10 season define us,” Mataele said. “We just practiced harder, disciplined ourselves, worked together, stopped making excuses.” That shift in mindset became visible on the field. After entering the season with only one goal of achieving their first win in program history, the Vikings quickly raised their expectations. Sophomore co-captain Eleanor Wells said the team’s confidence grew with each victory. “Everyone knew that we went 0-10 last season, so our one goal was to win a game. After our first win, we just kept trying our best and striving for more.” What started as a team searching for progress soon became one of the most dominating groups in league play. Paly not only won the SCVAL league title, but also delivered memorable performances throughout the season, like a 73-0 victory over Lynbrook in October. Whether fACEing close games or moments of pressure, the team stayed composed and moved on to the next play. “We respond to pressure and setbacks well,” Mataele said. “My team adopted a next-play mentality where we took our losses as an opportunity to improve.” For a program still in its early stages, the Vikings made it incredibly clear that last year does not define them. Through stronger chemistry and commitment to improvement Paly’s flag football team transformed from a winless team into dominating league champions. They created momentum that will carry into next season and proved that a difficult beginning does not determine who they can become.
Mia Wong (‘29), Kailia Leming (‘26), Kendall Kageyama (‘29) and Eleanor Wells (‘28) celebrating with their team after a victory against Monta Vista Photo courtesy of SOKO MATAELE
estelle
d an K C IM I FR ACH T O ET RL KE J A U C L yS
O A R IP A H B S B N B U S MA D K S R O T A L with the Class of 2024. With no future attitude to everything I do and to be kind A OR AW leader on defense, the coaching staff to everyone.” turned to Dufour. This impact is part of what makes DuSP “My coaches had asked me if I was will- four a capable leader: her relationship
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enior team captain, team MVP and League Goalie MVP: each is an impressive title on its own. For girls water polo’s Estelle Dufour, they all came together in the 2025 season, as she led her team through a record-breaking, championship run. However, Dufour didn’t always have this pathway set for her. From a sophomore JV field player to the most valuable goalie in the league, Dufour’s water polo journey was hardly ordinary — but she succeeded through determination, earning her the Alok Subbarao Sportsmanship Award. Since the start of her water polo journey, Dufour has undergone significant changes. The most notable is her transition from field player to goalie, which came just two years ago after former g o a l ie Mary H e n derson graduated
ing to make the change from the field with her teammates, in and out of the into goal,” Dufour said. “We didn’t have pool, remains strong. a goalie for our team and this was an “Even when we had early morning pracopportunity for me to help the team in a tice and knew we’d be back in the pool really impactful way.” right after school, she always showed Since then, there has been no doubt up with a smile and that kind of energy Dufour has positively impacted is what pulled us through the hard moher team from the cage: ments in our season,” Ryans said. the girls water polo Not only did the girls rely on team won the her, but Dufour leans on SCVAL chamher teammates in return pionship her to help her through the Ultimately what first year in season. goal and “We have such a motivated me to went on great set of girls and show up was to be a to win we often turned to role model for others again the each other for supfollowing port,” Dufour said. and try to spread the year. Du“Ultimately what energy I wanted to see. four also motivated me to earned hershow up was to be a self a posirole model for others — Estelle Dufour tion as team and try to spread the (‘26) captain and energy I wanted to see.” the title of SCVAL Dufour will remain a lastGoalie MVP. Girls ing part of the girls water polo varsity water polo coach legacy, remembered as a leader Deke Rowell noticed how Dufour was behind one of the program’s most sucable to establish herself as a threat. cessful runs. The team achieved a re“[Dufour] has a certain work ethic that cord-breaking fourth-place seed in the comes from self motivation,” Rowell said. Central Coast Section Open Division and “She was always a good athlete, but re- captured not just one, but two league ally grew as a goalie in her senior year championship titles, ending an 18-year because she was skilled at reading what drought. But more than that, she will be was in front of her situationally.” remembered for her character. What makes Dufour a standout athlete “What I’ll miss [about Dufour] is her quiis not just her talent, but her dedication et leadership and sense of humor,” Rowto the sport and her teammates. One ell said. “To be a leader can be hard and I prominent example was Sophomore wa- think Estelle’s approach to being a leader ter polo player Ceci Ryans, who was able and a captain was a tactic that served us to benefit from Estelle’s work ethic and very well: quiet, humble and somebody character. who listened. I consider myself blessed “Joining the water polo team my fresh- to have known her.” man year not knowing anyone, Estelle was one of the most welcoming people and her kindness helped me feel at home on the team,” Ryans said. “She Photos by KAREN inspired me to always bring a good 26 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com AMBROSE HICKEY
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The Palo Alto High School Alok Subbarao Sportsmanship Award is a prestigious recognition given to student-athletes cross two sports and two teams, seThat sense of connior Kacey Washington has earned nection carried into who show exceptional the Alok Subbarao Award: a reflec- his senior year, where tion of how he showed up for the his role shifted. On sportsmanship and people around him. Between football a younger basketball and basketball, his impact went beyond team, Washington found character on and off the performance, shaped by how he led, himself stepping into a more supported and stayed connected with intentional leadership position. field. his teammates. “There’s a difference between
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Washington began his multi-sport jour- being looked up to and mentoring,” ney before high school, starting in sixth Washington said. “This year, grade. I’m more in a mentorship “I went to a few Paly camps role because I’m older for both basketball and than everyone else football, and during the — we had a really summer I started playyoung team.” [Paly sports] showed ing at Paly with curHowever, rent players,” Washboth of these me what it means to ington said. “That’s sports came be part of a team… why I stuck with baswith challengit gives you lifelong ketball. For football, es througha lot of my friends out his senior friends. were also playing, year. and I decided to do “Football — Kacey that during the sumwas full of hard Washington (‘26) mer too.” moments, and in From the start, those earbasketball we had ly connections shaped his our ups and downs,” approach to both sports. What Washington said. began as playing alongside friends grew Instead of letting those mointo a deeper understanding of team- ments define the season, Washington work and sportsmanship. focused on keeping his teammates “Football and basketball both taught focused. me many things about life: how you at“It’s the mentality that we’re all in tack hard moments, how people receive it together and we’re going to get information and how it should be given,” out of the slump,” Washington Washington said. “They taught me skills said. “We’re good enough, like perseverance.” we work hard enough, and Those lessons became more apparent good things are bound to as his role on each team evolved. Wash- happen as long as we stay ington has no shortage of memories, but together and keep working one season stands out as a defining mo- together.” ment in both his athletic career and his That mindset did not go unrelationships with teammates. noticed. Senior Jake Wang, who “The highlight of my four years as an played alongside Washington in both athlete at Paly would have to be last year sports, saw the way he consistently supwith Jorell Clark and the run we made in ported those around him. both States and CCS,” Washington said. “[Washington] is a teammate that “Just being part of a team that could re- builds us up and brings us enally go that far, and the friendships I had ergy,” Wang said. “He is a on that team, I felt so connected to every hard worker and an asset one of those players.” to the team.”
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Washington focused on building relationships first, making sure his teammates felt supported both on and off the field, an approach that resulted in success. “I wanted to earn their trust as a friend and as a teammate, be someone they could confide in,” Washington said. “From there, I tried to help shape and influence the team.” In the end, Washington’s journey goes beyond wins or statistics. It reflects the role sportsmanship played in shaping his experience, from the way he approached challenges to the way he connected with his teammates. “[Palo Alto sports] showed me what it means to be part of a team… it gives you lifelong friends,” Washington said.
Environmental
Endurance
At Paly, behind every practice and game is a steady, often overlooked environmental footprint. From energy use to facility maintenance, school sports play a larger role in sustainability than many realize.
By CARYS OLSEN and ELENA SALVATIERRA
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n any given afternoon, multiple teams are practicing on fields, courts and in pools. Lights blazing, facilities in constant use and buses leaving for away games. For the athletes, it’s simply a part of the day. With their concentration on improvement, schedules and competition, the environmental impact of their sport often goes unnoticed. At the same time, the relationship between athletics and the environment goes both ways. As climate change continues to worsen, rising temperatures, poor air quality and extreme weather are already beginning to affect how and when sports are played. In fact, according to Project Play, youth athletes lost an average of one week of practices or games in 2024 due to extreme heat, wildfire and other climate-related
events. As conversations about sustainability grow across campuses and communities, athletics remain an overlooked part of the discussion. Yet behind every practice and game is a steady, often unseen, environmental footprint. Some of the largest environmental impacts in school sports come from the facilities themselves. Unlike other school activities, athletics require large-scale areas that must be maintained consistently, regardless of weather or time of day. Indoor sports like basketball depend heavily on electricity for lighting and air conditioning, while outdoor sports like field hockey often rely on fields that require maintenance or artificial materials. According to Athletic Director Scott Davis, sustainability is considered when upgrading facilities, even if reducing overall energy use is challenging. “When we are looking at adding new fields or improvements, the surfaces that are chosen, the district works
“Practices have to go late and lights are needed.” — Scott Davis, Athletic Director
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with the contractors to see what surfaces are best for the student-athletes but also the environment,” Davis said. “Our new softball field has no fill, that could run off and get into the storm drains.” However, the scale of Paly’s athletic programs make reducing energy use difficult. “It is tough with the amount of use the facilities get at Palo Alto,” Davis said. “Up into the evenings and all weekend long, the facilities are being used by teams, school clubs and renters.” Davis added that scheduling also contributes significantly to energy use, as limited daylight and packed athletic schedules often push practices later into the evening, increasing reliance on gym and field lighting. “We have a lot of student-athletes and a school schedule that gets students out of class late so that means practices have to go late and lights are needed,” Davis said. “[the] coaches or custodians turn them off at the end of the evening.” Among all facilities, pools stand out as some of the most resource-intensive. Maintaining safe swimming conditions requires continuous filtration, heating and chemical treatment, all which consume energy and resources daily. Head swim and dive coach, Danny Dye, explains that maintaining a pool involves balancing multiple systems on a daily basis. “Pretty much any pool, whether it’s a public pool or a school pool is going
Photo by SACHIN GURUNATHAN
to have a balance of the chemicals,” Dye said. “And the machinery runs so that you have a filtration process that allows the water to always be maintained at a healthy level for athletes to be in.” In addition to energy use, pools rely on chemicals like chlorine to maintain safety. While these chemicals appear to have a concerning environmental impact, Dye says the levels are carefully controlled two remain safe for both the athletes and the environment. “If the levels that [the chemicals] put into the pool was going to be a risk to society if it got out of the pool, then there could be a risk if they got in the water,” Dye said. “The stuff that is put in there is basically put in there to maintain the pool at a healthy level for humans to be in it. So if it evaporates it’s already been weakened to a certain state that it just filters into the area.” In other words, since chemicals are safe for the athletes in the water, they are not harmful when they evaporate. While facilities are a near-constant source of energy use, transportation is another large contributor to the environmental impact of student athletics. Senior Liam Johnson, who runs the Environmental Science Club and plays varsity soccer and track, says that transportation is one of the largest factors of environmental relevance in sports that he notices. “I think all teams that travel have an impact,” Johnson said. “I don’t know if there are any sports that don’t.” For sophomore and varsity field hockey player Ela Aba, that impact is felt most acutely on game days. Teams often travel multiple times a week and across more than twenty sports in a school year, the miles add up quickly. According to Climate Central, school buses nationally travel four billion miles a year and diesel-powered buses are considered major producers of air pollution. “We travel roughly once per week for a game, as we play every team once at home and away,” Aba said. “Carpooling isn’t really allowed unless counting the bus, which we used for maybe one game during the entire season.” For field hockey, reliance on individual transportation can significantly increase emissions. However, some teams are al-
lowed to carpool to reduce this impact. Junior and varsity girls basketball player Katie McCue says carpooling is one of the main ways her team tries to be more sustainable. able “They [her coaches] would enduring courage us to all take the van games together or the bus together and practices. Disto get to games,” McCue posable cups, said. “And we do JV and sports drinks and varsity together because medical mateit’s one trip back-and-forth rials like tape and rather than a bunch of cars taking people.” bandages can accumuAt the district level, efforts are also unlate quickly, especially given how widely derway to address transportation they are used across teams. emissions. “We use a lot of paper cups to fill with “Our league requires a lot of travthe Gatorade tank,” McCue said. “And el for road games so we are on the when we fill those cups we kind of forget road a lot,” Davis said. “Many of whose cups are whose and then we have the district buses and vans are to just get a whole new one.” electric vehicles.” Despite the numerous different impacts, The district began transiawareness among students remains limittioning to electric buses and ed. Athletics and environmental sustainvans in 2023, in an effort to ability are not often discussed together, reduce emissions, replAeven though the connection has become CEing older diesel models increasingly relevant. with more environmentally “I think athletes should care about enfriendly alternatives. Transvironmental issues,” Aba said. “We need portation and facilities creto keep the environment around us as ate larger scale impacts healthy as we can to get the best possible on the environment, but results. Like keeping fields safe to avoid smaller, everyday choices injuries or the air as clear as possible for also contribute to the overbreathing.” all footprint of athletics. Athletics provide clear benefits, from Equipment use varies widephysical health to teamwork and discily depending on the sport. pline. They encourage students to exerSome items are reused for cise and enjoy time outside. But they also long periods of time, while come with environmental costs. As awareothers need frequent reness grows, at the administrative and stuplacement. Athletic gear is dent level, small changes can begin to remost often wrapped in plasduce the impact, from adopting reusable tic which can take years to materials to investing in more sustainable break down and are often transportation. While these efforts may difficult to recycle. According to Aba, field seem small, they represent steps in the hockey equipment tends to be relatively right direction. Even with growing awaredurable. ness, many of these challenges remain “Uniforms are reused each year so there difficult to address at a large scale.What isn’t much waste from that,” Aba said. may seem like a distant, global issue is in“Shoes and sticks are pretty durable and creasingly shaping the daily experience of are only replaced when they’re not funcstudent-athletes. In that sense, sustainabiltioning.” ity in athletics is not just about reducing In contrast, McCue noted that basketball the impact of an individual sport, it is also players often replace shoes several times about protecting the future of athletics. a year due to wear and tear. To combat this, the team has adopted sustainable habits in other areas. “I think that nowadays most people use reusable water bottles which I think is really awesome,” McCue said. “Pretty much everyone I know on my team has a reusable water bottle.” Photo courtesy of Still, some EDWARD TONGA waste is unavoid@vikingsportsmag @vikingsportsmag | February | April 2026 2026 || 29 29
“Pretty much everyone I know on my team has a reusable water bottle.” — Katie McCue (‘27)
RRY ING O T W SURF ’ N DO GO
IN ER MM SU IN ER MM SU IN ER MM SU IN ER MM SU SUMMER IN
MOTION By NATALYA KASHPOLIN, MAX MERKEL and SARAH THIEMAN
As summer approaches, many Paly students are starting to participate in a variety of unique sports that the Bay Area allows—from surfing to sailing, each has a special story. Photo of RONAN TEETZEL 30 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com Courtesy of RONAN TEETZEL
I’ve basically been doing it for as long as I can remember. I just love it, it is so fun and it is also just a great social outlet.” In addition to being good exercise and time outdoors, surfing also provides a strong social network and community. “I love meeting new people—when I’m surfing in France or Spain, when I go on tour, the people I meet and the experiences I’ve had are so memorable,” Teetzel said. “I’ve even been invited to yacht parties from people whom I’ve met surfing. So, it’s just super cool to connect with the communities and the locals and just branch out of your bubble.” Teetzel also describes a distinct sense of calm that comes with being in the water, a feeling that sets surfing apart from land sports. “I love how relaxed I feel when I’m in the water,” Teetzel said. “And also just how fun it is. When you do turns and go down the line quickly, it is incredibly fun.” Senior Jackson Sims also began surfing around age seven with his dad, who would paddle him out and guide him when he was too small to paddle on his own. He later chose to continue it in his freshman year when a friend took him out and has been surfing regularly since. “I didn’t really surf until my freshman year, but then one of my good friends, Alessio, was really good at surfing and he took me out one day and I loved it,” Sims said. “After that, we went every weekend for an entire summer.” For surfers like Sims and Teetzel, living in the Bay A r e a has
its benefits and drawbacks. More advanced surfers thrive off the rougher conditions and cold water, but some spots still require a bit of added travel time to get from suburban to coastal areas. “The benefits are that the Bay Area has pretty good surf,” Teetzel said. “It can be a little far, though. I have to drive at least 30 to 40 minutes to get to the beach in Half Moon Bay and if I want better surf, I have to go to Santa Cruz, which is a little bit longer. There also are not really any reef breaks, so the waves aren’t that great.” Both Sims and Teetzel are experienced surfers and warn that although the Bay Area is well-equipped for the sport,
Ronan Teetzel’s preferred board, PYZEL Phantom
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onan Teetzel paddled out, wind and salt whipping his face. Not only was he fighting the wind and the rocky waters, but he was also battling fear—he realized he was the only surfer out there and the waves were reaching 10-12 feet. Once he got out on the water, he saw the waves on the horizon and the fear hit him. His only way out was by climbing up a cliff with his board, not only to avoid the rough conditions but also the angry locals. This moment was just one of many wild encounters in the world of surfing. California is often associated with breathtaking coastlines, gigantic waves and sun-drenched weather almost year-round. Many people, whether locals or visitors, take full advantage of these conditions. Water sports like surfing and sailing dominate areas like the Bay Area due to ample coastal resources and as summer approaches, these activities are coming into full swing. Though rarely offered through school or club programs, many sports associated with “summer” are popular across all age groups living in the Bay Area. From sailing to kite surfing, each requires a special love and commitment to succeed in these challenging, technical and sometimes even dangerous sports. Surfing culture has been rooted in California’s history for a century, with world-famous surf spots like the Mavericks in the North and Malibu Point Break in the South. Although Northern California has colder waters, that doesn’t stop a strong surfing community from thriving. Popular locations include Santa Cruz, Monterey and Half Moon Bay. Senior Ronan Teetzel participates in sailing, wind foiling and wake surfing, but has the most love for surfing. He began surfing at age six, influenced by his dad and uncle and chose to continue because of his growing love for the sport. “My dad grew up surfing, so he also taught me,” Teetzel said. “I learned to surf and swim at the same time, so
Photo of RONAN TEETZEL Courtesy of RONAN TEETZEL
CALIFORNIA @vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 31
it is not necessarily a great place for beginners to learn. Sims points to the cold water and heavy conditions at local spots like Half Moon Bay as particularly unwelcome for newcomers. Teetzel holds a similar sentiment and suggests beginners look elsewhere first. “Probably go to Hawaii to start,” Teetzel said. “It’s really not ideal to start in the Bay Area because the water is super cold and the waves aren’t great for beginners. I would definitely go to a more touristy spot and get actual lessons, because if you don’t really know how to surf or swim, like it’ll be really difficult.” Fortunately, for frequent surfers, the typical surfing day does not require very much preparation. On calmer days, Teetzel notes that his routine is simply wake up early, stretch and get to the water before the crowds arrive. For Sims, preparation also depends heavily on the conditions of the day. On bigger surf days, he takes extra precautions. “If the waves are really big, I have an inflatable wetsuit that I have a pull cord on,” Sims said. “So in case I get
put under the water, I have the pull cord.” The two main types of surfing are longboarding and surfboarding. Longboards are typically around nine feet long and are geared toward beginners due to their stability, suitability for mellow waves and smooth gliding feel. “With a longboard, you have much more control and it is definitely a little bit easier because it’s a lot heavier and there’s more area, so it’s easier to popup,” Sims said. “But on a short board, it’s easy to sink and if you’re not precise with your pop-up, it’s really easy to fall.” Both Sims and Teetzel surf shortboards, a more advanced discipline of surfing. The boards typically range from 5’6” to 6’6” in length, which allows for quick, flashy tricks and cuts on the waves seen in surfing competitions and surf films. “Popping up,” or the transition from lying on the stomach to standing up, is much harder on a shortboard due to the lower volume and length. Each surfer has unique preferences for their board’s size, shape, weight and look. Sims rides a 5 ‘11 shortboard, while Teetzels mixes between short and longer options depending on the conditions and his mood. Surfing culture also involves immense pride in their boards ans unique style, with each surfer curating their board to their preferences and personal vibe. “My personal favorite has been a Pyzel Power Tiger,” Teetzel said. “I used to only surf Pyzels, but then I got the board I have
32 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com
right now, the Sharp Eye Inferno 72 and that one’s really fast, it’s super good and I’m really happy with it right now.” While traditional surfing is the most common, there are many other activities under the broader surfing family. Senior Max Mommessin participates in wind foiling. Wind foiling is a sport where the rider holds a sail in hand while standing on a board equipped with a hydrofoil fin underneath that lifts te board above the surface of the water at speed. Mommessin got into wind foiling during the COVID-19 pandemic through an introduction from his dad, who had a background in water and wind sports. Now, he continues wind foiling for both the fun of being outdoors and the exercise it provides. However, the Bay Area presents obstacles for participating in wind sports frequently. “In the Bay, there are not a lot of spots with good waves and wind,” Mommessin said. “On the coast, like Half Moon Bay, it is just really cold, there’s not always good waves and the wind around here can be really inconsistent, which makes it hard.” Mommessin’s typical wind foiling routine entails packing up the car, drive to the desired spot and set up your equipment. “So you just pump up your sail, you take out your board, you’ll screw your foil and fin on and then you are ready to go,” Mommessin said. For Mommessin, the appeal comes down to one sensation that’s hard to replicate anywhere else. “I like the feeling when you’re kind of levitating over the water,” Mommessin said. “I just love doing tricks and stuff over the water.” He practices primarily at spots like Coyote Point and Third Avenue in the Bay. He does note one significant barrier to entry is the cost of the sport. “It’s super expensive—it’s not accessible for a lot of people,” Mommessin said. “I think you need at least a couple grand to get in.” Senior Estelle Dufour participates in kitesurfing. Like wind foiling, kitesurfing is powered by
“I like the feeling when you are kind of levitating over the water.” —Max Mommessin Mom messin ‘26
the wind and blends elements of surfing, sailing and wakeboarding. Dufour began kitesurfing through her family, specifically her dad, who holds years of experience. She first tried it in Mexico on a family vacation and fell in love with it immedietly. “I started taking lessons in Mexico since we travel to a kitesurfing town every winter for winter break,” Dufour said. “I continued to do it because I love being out on the ocean in such a unique way and it’s nice to be alone out there yet also surrounded by family and friends.” Unlike surfing, kitesurfing does not necessarily require big waves. In fact, calmer, open water is actually more suitable for beginner riders. It does, however, demand specific wind conditions and careful attention to gear. The equipment includes a board, foot straps, a wetsuit, a harness, a bar with lines connecting to the kite and the kite itself, which comes in various sizes depending on wind strength. Before heading out, riders lay their lines fully flat—rougly 20 to 24 meters—and make sure they are completely untangled before inflating and attaching the kite. “You put your harness on, attach yourself to the lines and once you get your kite up in the air, you’re finally ready to go!” Dufour said. “It’s really important to be super careful with your gear and with its setup because one tear or loose knot can leave you stranded in the water and can be very dangerous for other kiters around you.” While most Bay Area water sports athletes cite the cold and inconsistent conditions as drawbacks, kitesurfing is a notable exception. Dufour says the Bay Area is actually well-suited for her sport. “The Bay Area is actually amazing for kitesurfing,” Dufour said. “I can go out on the bay and also on the ocean, meaning I get flat water or big waves whenever I want. We have a really good
wind season in the summer.” She typically heads out near the Dumbarton Bridge or Waddell Beach near Santa Cruz—and in the winters, La Ventana, Mexico. For those curious about the sport, Dufour is enthusiastic. “If you’re interested, it is such a cool s p o rt — d e f i n i t e l y look into it and sign up for a lesson.” Another Paly Senior, Will Clark, has been sailing for as long as he can remember under the guidance of his father, Perry Clark, who was a varsity sailor at the University of California, Berkeley. “My dad would take me out sailing as a little kid,” Clark said. “I continued it because it was another way to get close to my dad and I learned that I liked the ocean a lot. I did it recreationally and fished sometimes as well.” Clark primarily sails in the Santa Cruz area and uses a Trimaran, a three-hulled boat known for speed and high performance. Preparing the boat before heading out requires attention to detail, every component must be properly set before leaving the dock. “The typical sailing routine depends on the boat,” Clark said. “For me, I had to hoist up the sail and attach the rudder.” Once out on the water, it is all about constant adjustment. Reading the wind, trimming the sail and keeping the boat balanced are crucial to a safe and smooth sailing experience—things that now come naturally to Clark over time. Like other water sports, sailing in the Bay Area offers a unique environment. The San Francisco Bay is renowned worldwide for its strong, consistent winds and challenging conditions, attracting competitive sailors across the country while also making it a demanding place for those just starting out. While summer sports and activities
“It takes a lot of mental strength to go out and try new tricks since I know the consequences are getting slammed into the water.” —Estelle Dufour ‘26
bring excitement and adrenaline, they also carry many real dangers. Any activity on the ocean involves risks beyond one’s control; waves, currents and winds can shift without warning, highlighting the importance of having experience or a mentor before venturing out, especially in the demanding Bay Area conditions. “When I was around ten years old, my dad and I went out, the waves got really big all of a sudden and we couldn’t get back in for 30 minutes,” Sims said. “There was a moment when my dad had to bring me under the water and we had to swim for 20 seconds—I thought I was gonna die.” Knowing and managing those risks is a constant part of the mental game in these sports. Fighting the mental battle against fear to perform is not only how skill is built, but also where much of the thrill comes from. “A challenge I face is that it’s still a difficult sport for me mentally,” Dufour said. “It takes a lot of mental strength to go out and try new tricks since I know the consequences are getting slammed into the water or risking my lines getting tangled or my kite crashing.” Unlike most sports, if you make a mistake participating in these activities, your life could be at risk. According to SURFER Magazine, there are around 9-10 surfing fatalities in California specifically every year, serving as a reminder that beneath the fun and freedom of Bay Area water sports is a deep respect for the power of the ocean beyond human control. Despite the differences in each discipline, what unites Teetzel, Sims, Dufour, Mommessin and Clark is a shared love and relationship for being out on the water. Each were built and shaped by family and the Bay Area and continued through love and passion. Whether levitating above the water on a foil, being pulled across the bay on a kite, or gliding down the face of a cold Northern California wave, each athlete has found something special in their sport that traditional land sports cannot offer. For all of them, the risks are not a reason to stop but part of what makes it@vikingsportsmag worth it. | April 2026 | 33
VARSITY to VACANCY
As high school sports come to an end, student athletes face the challenge of rebuilding their routines and redefining fitness in college.
By ZOE PASHALIDIS and FINN SCHOEBEL
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s senior night winded down, Paly senior Oliver Payne realized that that was the last time he will play competitive soccer. After more than ten years of playing soccer for club, school and casually amongst friends, Payne was suddenly without a sport. “Soccer was always something I did, a huge part of my identity,” Payne said. “Now I’m going to graduate and I won’t be playing anymore. I’ve honestly got no idea what I’m doing for exercise in college and beyond.” This is the reality for many Paly athletes, for whom the end of senior year means the end of competitively playing their sport. The accessibility of high level competitive sports that cater to athletes of vastly different calibers is often unrecognized by athletes until they are finally unable to play. While a small numPhoto courtesy of TAI SHI LIU
ber of athletes may decide to pursue their sport competitively after high school, such as in the NCAA Division I, Division II, or Division III levels, the vast majority do not. Many students leaving behind their high school sports find both opportunity and challenge in the absence of their sport. While the extra time that not needing to attend regular team practice provides chances to enjoy time with friends or pursue other activities, finding regular exercise can be a complex challenge that requires careful navigation from the athletes. This was true for former Paly student-athlete Lucas Yuan, who has often found it difficult to maintain a high level of exercise while juggling the high level workloads and other challenges that college life can bring. As a student at the University of Pennsylvania majoring in mathematics, Yuan’s schedule conflicts often require him to push back or decide against completing workouts. “When I got to Penn, I was expecting to work out 5-6 days a week consistently,” Yuan said. “But honestly, I’ve been doing so much work and busy with so many social and career events that I’ve often ended up skipping the gym. It’s great when I can, but it’s obviously not always going to be possible for me to do everything.” For students like Yuan, the transition from high school to college is filled with changes and regular exercise can easily be lost in the chaos and excitement of life. Fortunately, there are many opportunities that allow college athletes to stay in shape; you just need to know where to look. To help make these options as clear as possible for Paly students who may already be questioning what their physical routines will
look like after graduation, we found and interviewed multiple recent Paly graduates who have chosen different post-highschool paths for their athletes. Taishi Liu, who graduated from Paly last year as a part of the class of 2025, is one of the rare athletes who is continuing with competitive play into college. Taishi, who is playing Division III soccer at Harvey Mudd College, is grateful for the opportunity to continue honing his craft. “I’ve played soccer for so long and I love it,” Liu said. “I’ve been having so much fun playing this year in college.” One of the clearest positives of playing sports at an organized, official NCAA level is that opportunities to work out are highly accessible. While non-competitive athletes are left to strategize their own workouts, meals and academic work, playing a competitive sport tends to be highly structured. “I know when all my training is, when we go to games, when I eat with the team,” Liu said. “It’s a lot, but it actually helps me stay organized.” But while the organization can help, the demand is high. Student-athletes still have the responsibilities of classwork, but need to simultaneously manage a hyper-competitive athletic career and long distance travel for games. While the work is manageable, Liu recognizes that it isn’t easy and balancing the challenges of work and sports at a high level can be unmanageable. “It often means sacrificing something else that I’d want to do,” Liu said. “I can’t imagine doing anything else, but I’m sure it’s not feasible for everyone.” For many other athletes, the decision
must be made to stop playing a sport com- commitment to exercise during their first petitively, instead choosing to play at club years in a college environment, Kinsky has level. While often not considered to be as actually found the opposite to be true: competitive as high level NCAA compeboosted by the accessibility of worktition, many club teams reout equipment and extra flexibilcruit and are exclusive, ity in his schedule with which holding competitive he is able to decide when to tryouts that many workout, Kinsky’s workout athletes struggle regularity has actually into gain access to. creased. For Alec Bonard, “I think it’s easier, conalso a member of sidering my university the class of 2025, [Lehigh] actually probeing selected to vides us with resources join Brown Unilike a gym and weight versity’s Club A room,” Kinsky said. “Beteam was surtween that and there prising and unbeing fields that my expected. friends and I can al“I originally most always play socwent in with the cer on, I’ve had no mentality of ‘oh, trouble working out.” maybe I won’t In fact, Kinsky actumake the team ally thinks that findmy freshman year,’” ing opportunities to Bonard said. “It was work out was more only after I had a challenging at Paly. — Oliver Payne ‘26 couple really good After the weight tryouts that I startroom use was reed to realize I could stricted for students probably make the outside of structured team.” team practices, accessibilBonard had expected ity was weakened for Paly students. to play intramural sports at Brown, where “It was harder to stay in shape in high he would join a small group of friends to school, for me,” Kinsky said. “That was recompete against other teams from the ally because students weren’t allowed into same school. Club, on the other hand, the weight room. That was frustrating and means formal practices with the team and definitely impacted my workout frequentravel games to play against other schools. cy in high school.” This schedule allows athletes to maintain At Lehigh, Kinsky plays pickup sports some measure of competition in their with friends, relying on random sport while not requiring all the effort and matches and small group-chat time commitment usually demanded of a style meet ups to find opportuNCAA level athlete. nities to play. Instead of having “Club soccer is great as a medium be- a league, uniforms, practictween competitive soccer and recreation- es or any other signifiers of al,” Bonard said. “You can maintain a bal- structured play, Kinsky and his ance of schoolwork and get all your work friends find an available field done while playing [soccer] multiple times at an available time and play a week.” casually. While different Still other athletes decide to leave be- from Kinsky’s past time hind their sport, instead deciding to exer- playing at a more competcise in the gym. This was true for former itive and structured level, Paly student-athlete Jacob Kinsky, who is this organization strategy now attending Lehigh University. Kinsky, is freeing and fun. who long supplemented his high school “I’m able to play with athletic career with weight exercises, has my friends without the now diverted his focus primarily to gym super-competitive aspect work, with soccer as a side activity for fun of playing sports,” Kinsky and aerobic cardio exercise. said. “We can make it as “I go to the gym as much as I can and I strenuous or as relaxed as play soccer twice a week,” Kinsky said. we want and I almost al“I like to stay in shape through a mix of ways have a blast.” strength training and cardio.” As students transition Unlike other students, who have strug- from high school to colgled with maintaining their fitness and lege, finding time and
“Soccer was always something I did, a huge part of my identity. Now I’m going to graduate and I won’t be playing anymore.”
energy to exercise can be a real challenge. Surrounded by hundreds or thousands of new faces can be daunting, especially when beginning a new workout routine like weightlifting. “If you’re worried about feeling awkward in a new gym full of strangers, I hope that you can understand that nobody is judgmental,” Kinsky said. “Everyone supports people striving to be a better version of themselves.” At the end of the day, staying in shape can be essential for maintaining long term health and can provide an important break from the rigorous academics many students will be balancing in college. In Kinsky’s experience, working out regularly can actually strengthen his ability to focus on his academics and social life. “I would say that it’s worth the commitment,” Kinsky said. “There are so many benefits to staying disciplined and working out. It really improves my mental health and allows me to stay focused on my academics.” Between playing at an NCAA level, for your school’s club team, intramural sports, pickup with friends or hitting the weights, there are widely varied options for staying in shape after high school. Whatever your interests are, whatever your commitments are, maintaining health through consistent exercise is an important piece to add to your college routine.
BBeyond ONDSCourt By ARJUN BHARAT and IAN CIERNIAK
the
“ACEing Autism” brings children on the spectrum together through tennis, creating a space where confidence, social skills and meaningful connections can blossom.
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n a quiet afternoon at the Palo Alto High School tennis courts, a group of kids line up along the baseline. Holding their rackets in one hand and clutching the hand of an older student mentor in the other, each child runs a zig-zag pattern through a line of cones before giving an enthusiastic high-five to the volunteer when they reach the net. As the routine is repeated, a grin of satisfaction gradually appears on their faces. This reaction is emblematic of the ‘patience and positivity’ model at ACEing Autism, a student-led tennis clinic for children with autism. The program was founded by senior Malcolm Ginwalla, who traced the idea back to a personal experience playing tennis with his cousin who has autism. “I could see that he [Ginwalla’s cousin] really enjoyed it,” Ginwalla said. “And I was already looking for volunteering opportunities, so I thought—maybe I can do something with this.” Ginwalla, a sophomore at the time, discovered an ‘ACEing Autism’ program in Los Altos and saw both a model and an opportunity. “There was a really long waitl i s t ,” G i n walla said. “So I w a s like, may-
be I can help out and start my own pro- forehands and backhands. Some of them gram.” are advanced kids, so we have them hit After reaching out to the national orga- with one of the volunteers.” nization and getting approval, GinwalThat structure is intentional. Many of the la launched a chapter at Palo Alto High participants benefit from repetition and School. routine, which helps them stay engaged “I got into contact with the director of with the program. ACEing Autism nationally,” Ginwalla said. “They’re definitely going to have more “We had some discussions and I ended difficulty than someone who is neurotypup being fortunate enough to start my ical so my biggest technique was just beown program.” ing super patient,” Ginwalla said. “DemonThe program now runs as a recurring strating things over and over again and six-week clinic, offered multiple times making sure they understand.” throughout the year. Ginwalla serves as Over time, that approach leads to sigthe program director, overseeing each nificant changes. While participants imsession and coordinating with parents proved technically, Ginwalla noted the and volunteers. most noticeable growth happens with “My main job is to kind of oversee and their confidence. help out in whatever way I can,” Ginwal“They do get better at tennis,” Ginwalla la said. “But I really love it when I can just said. “But they also become more confispend a little time and really focus on one dent and more social, they start talking to kid in particeach other more.” ular which The program’s can really benefits are not “I really like seeing the smiles on their limited to partichelp make an impact.” ipants. faces when they hit a shot over the Each sesMany Paly net...I’ve even seen parents tear up. sion follows students That’s when you know you’re making a consistent volunteer structure, as counselors an impact.” starting with and describe sigwarm-ups nificant personal and moving growth, especially into drills in how they apthat build baproach teaching sic coordination and communication. and tennis skills. Senior Santiago Sanchez began volun“We’ll do ball drills, like bouncing and teering at ACEing Autism in March, initialpassing, then racket control and then ly as a favor to Ginwalla. eventually forehands and backhands,” “I chose to help out with the ACEing AuGinwalla said. “Then after that, it’ll go into tism program to help my friend Malcolm,” basic racket stuff like holding the racket, Sanchez said. “I also thought it would be taking the racket with a ball, bouncing it a great opportunity to try something new, on the racket all the way to the other side. to help kids connect with a sport. I’ve only Then it’ll also include ground strokes, so been to ACEing Autism for two days, but I
—Malcolm Ginwalla ‘26
plan on going more times.” the difference,” Ginwalla said. Despite not being a tennis player him- “They’ll ask for them and won’t self, Sanchez quickly learned that the merit be as involved.” of the program went both ways and taught In addition, logistical issues also him how to interact. present challenges, including se“I’ve grown to become someone who is curing court space through the patient and understanding towards peo- city, which can often be unpredictple who have some trouble,” Sanchez said. able. For senior and varsity tennis player Ethan “Getting courts is really difficult,” Kleiner, joining ACEing Autism started as a Ginwalla said. “That’s one of the bigmeans of growing as a tennis player. Klein- gest challenges and it requires a lot er entered the program with prior coach- of coordination.” ing experience, Despite these but found obstacles, the prothat ACEing gram continues to “Each kid needs a different Autism chalexpand its approach to coaching. You have to lenged him to reach and be creative and patient with how adapt in new impact. For ways. many particiyou deal with problems.” “Each kid pants, ACEing Auneeds a diftism provides a rare ferent apopportunity to be proach to part of a supportive c o a c h i n g ,” athletic environKleiner said. “You have to be creative and ment. patient with how you deal with problems.” For one parent, who will For Kleiner, the program’s value went far be referred to as Jack* for privacy, beyond simply developing tennis skills. He said that he observed changes in his son emphasized that many participants do not he never expected. typically have access to team-based sports “He was a lot more talkative and couldn’t environments, due to their condition. wait to go back,” Jack said. “I honestly “A lot of these kids are denied the oppor- didn’t expect much, I hoped he would tunity to be part of a team,” Kleiner said. learn to become more outgoing and run “So just being out here with other kids and around with the other kids.” having fun is really important.” For Ginwalla, the most meaningful moThe extent of that sense of belonging of- ments often remain the simplest. ten becomes more visible as the sessions “I really like seeing the smiles on their progress. Many volunteers noted that the faces when they hit a shot over the net,” kids become more engaged over time. Ginwalla said. “I’ve even seen parents “They become more outgoing, more tear up. That’s when you know confident,” Kleiner said. “They want to play you’re making an impact.” more games and try different drills.” As he prepares to graduate, GinIn some cases, those changes extend be- walla said the program will continyond the program itself. Kleiner described ue locally under new leadership, forming a long-term connection with a with his sister Kyra Ginwalla expectparticipant named Ryan, whom he met ed to take a role in running it. He through ACEing Autism. also hopes to continue working in a “I met [Ryan] at ACEing Autism about a similar role in the future, potentially year ago and I’ve been giving him private as a student at UT Austin. lessons on the side since then,” Kleiner While drills and routines make up said. “I’ve helped him not just with tennis, the structure of each session, the but with his speech and attention span long-term impact of ACEing Auand we’ve built a really nice relationship.” tism is less about tennis and more However, those types of relationships about creating a space where studepend on consistency, something Gin- dents with developmental disabiliwalla says the program continues to work ties can grow their confidence. toward. Ginwalla and his staff place “One of the biggest challenges is keep- an important emphasis ing steady volunteers,” Ginwalla said. on developing social “When we have the same volunteers, the skills in a supportkids really connect. When we don’t, it’s ive environment much harder.” and build longHe described how some participants term relationbecome noticeably less engaged when ships with oldpaired with new counselors. er mentors. “If their volunteer isn’t there, you can see
—Ethan Kleiner ‘26
Photos courtesy of MALCOLM GINWALLA
T L I U B
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APING H S E R A S E H C A O C HOW PALY TES’ E L H T A D N A E R U T L U CONFIDENCE, C SPORT. IR E H T O T T N E M IT M COM LE and LUCAS
By SILAS STEE
TUNG
BELIEVE A
nother ball skips past freshman lacrosse player Quentin Studdert. His head drops as he drags his stick across the turf, kicking up black pellets while he drags his feet. From the sideline, his coach stays calm. Instead of tearing into him, he continues to encourage him, telling him to keep going, reminding him that his mistakes are part of the process of getting better. For Studdert, that response stood out. It sharply contrasted the club environment he had grown accustomed to, where bad passes were often treated like failures and the pressure to perform outweighed any sense of validation or support. At Paly, though, the game felt different. The emphasis was not solely on results but on growth and that discrepancy transformed the way Studdert felt about lacrosse. For high school athletes, coaches often shape more than performance. The environment they create can influence whether a sport feels motivating or encouraging and whether athletes want to continue showing up or quietly let the sport fade away. At Paly, that impact has become evident in lacrosse, where players report their
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coaches have made the sport feel more supportive and enjoyable. For athletes like Studdert and freshman Kostas Pashalidis, that difference affects not only how they play, but also whether they want lacrosse to remain part of their future. Before this season, Studdert was hesitant to continue with the sport. After years in club lacrosse, the sport had become more draining than rewarding, shaped by an environment that focused heavily on results and left little room for error. What had once been something he devoted countless hours to was beginning to feel more like an obligation than a passion. “Before this season, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep playing lacrosse,” Studdert said. “Club had kind of taken the joy out of it. But here, the coaches make it feel more positive and enjoyable.” For Studdert, the biggest difference isn’t that Paly coaches push players less than club. It was the way they did. Instead of dwelling on mistakes, they treat them as part of the improvement
CLUB HAD KIND OF TAKEN THE JOY OUT OF IT. BUT HERE, THE COACHES MAKE IT FEEL MORE POSITIVE.
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— QUENTIN STUDDERT ‘29
process. That shift turns frustration into motivation, allowing Studdert to reconnect with the sport instead of feeling worn down by it. Studdert’s experience reflects a larger truth regarding high school sports: coaches can shape whether an athlete stays invested in a sport at all. When players feel supported rather than ridiculed for mistakes, their mindset changes dramatically. They’re more willing to improve, take risks and remain engaged with the team. For some athletes, this kind of environment can restore a passion that was fading. For others, it can spark one that had not yet existed. For Pashalidis, the impact of coaching looked different, but led to similar results. Unlike Studdert, Pashalidis entered the season with no previous background in lacrosse. At first, he was trying to gain confidence in something new, unsure whether it would become anything more than a oneseason experience. But over time, the energy and encouragement from each coach changed that. “I had never played lacrosse before, so at first I was just trying something new,” Pashalidis said. “But the coaches made it so fun, I wanted to be playing lacrosse all the time.”
Because he was a beginner, Pashalidis could have quit just as quickly as he had started. Instead, the coaches made practice exciting rather than overwhelming. “The stress I had felt in other sports faded quickly faded as the season progressed,” Pashalidis said. His coaches’ approaches helped turn an unfamiliar sport into one he wholeheartedly enjoys and in turn lacrosse became something he wants to pursue beyond Paly. Though Studdert and Pashalidis entered the season from opposite starting positions, their experiences point to the same conclusion. In both cases, the coaches’ impact extends past instruction. They influenced not only how the athletes play in practice and in games, but how they feel about playing in the first place. T h i s difference can shape more than a season. For some athletes, it can shape a lifelong connection to the sport. While players felt that impact in real time, the atmosphere behind it was intentional. For Paly’s Ph
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coaches, making the sport demanding but enjoyable was a key aspect of their approach. JV boys lacrosse coach Ross Revenaugh said one of his biggest goals over the past two seasons is to ensure his players leave satisfied. “For the past two years coaching JV, one of my goals has been that every player has such a positive experience that they want to keep playing lacrosse and earn a spot on varsity,” Revenaugh said. For Revenaugh, that went beyond repeating offensive sets or defensive sets. A major part of coaching is building a trusting relationship with his players, especially when a player’s confidence can shape their development and improvement down the line. “[We try to show each player] that we believe in each of them,” Ross said. “Athletes play better when they believe in themselves and we really do believe in the kids.” This spotlight on reassurance explains why players such as Studdert and Pashalidis changed the way they viewed lacrosse. And this impact proves to have stretched beyond individual athletes. When players like Studdert and Pashalidis enjoy showing up, they are more likely to encourage others to join or continue with the program. “[Pashalidis] and I are trying to get as many people as possible to play club out of season,” Studdert said. At the high school level, where coaching is rarely about financial reward, that investment says a lot more. Coaches like Revenaugh are not returning each year because of a paycheck, but because they care about the athletes and the experience they can create for them. This same kind of impact may exist beyond boys lacrosse as well. Across Paly sports, coaches have the power to shape the environment around their players by treating them with respect and creating a culture that can cultivate them. That kind of influence can be found in field hockey as well. Sophomore Ela Aba, who played on the JV team as a freshman before getting moved up to varsity this season, said the environment her coach created helped shake not just
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her development, but also her confidence. As a freshman, Aba said having a parent coach on JV made the team feel more supportive while still making sure players hold a high standard. Instead of making mistakes feel embarrassing, her coach emphasized growth and made the sport feel as it did for her when she was a kid. “Last year, I was still figuring out whether field hockey was something I wanted to keep pursuing,” Aba said. “But my coach made it a lot easier to focus on improving and enjoying the sport instead of being scared to mess up.” That foundation carried with her into her sophomore season on varsity. Even with the huge increase in competition, Aba said she felt more prepared than ever because of the confidence she was able to build up the year before. “Moving up to varsity was definitely a challenge at first, but I felt a lot more ready because of how much confidence I built on JV,” Aba said. “My coach made us believe we could keep getting better and that stayed with me.” As the varsity team reached the CCS Division I playoffs this season, Aba said that balance of competitiveness and support remained a huge aspect of their teams identity. In that sense, the influence of coaching wasn’t reflected only in individual growth but in the team’s success. In high school sports, a coach’s impact is frequently measured by wins, losses and playoff results. But for players like Studdert, Pashalidis and Aba, the biggest difference is not always found in the final score. It was found in whether lacrosse still felt worth showing up for. This is what successful coaches like Revenaugh create—not just results, but a stronger connection between athletes, their teammates and the sports itself. By creating a challenging environment without making it discouraging, coaches have the power to turn burnout into belief and uncertainty into commitment. At Paly, this type of influence was already felt in the journey of individual players. Over time, it may shape even more: team culture, program strength and the longterm connection athletes have with their own sport.
My coach made us believe we could keep getting better. — ELA ABA ‘28
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The Empty
Notebook With the increased usage of social media and virtual sports app, the industry of sports journalism is facing many challenges. Written by MICHAEL WU and TYLER CHEUNG Design by MABEL McCARTER
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n the past, sports journalism was all about the who, what, where and when. Now, the idea of sports journalism is based on the ideas of click, like, share, repost. Society has transitioned from reading the sports section in our local newspapers to viewing the short notifications on our phones. It is indisputable that sports journalism is changing, but are the changes for the better or the worse? Oftentimes, when people think of sports journalism, they think of ESPN. First launched in 1979, ESPN has always been the core network for sports media in the country, but with evolving times, its authenticity and relevancy has started to decline. The decline of audience trust and engagement is reflected in its platform viewership. According to Dan Shanoff from the Athletic, compared to season averages,“amongst viewers 18-34 years old, viewership was down 54%.” Before social media and the internet, ESPN was the only place that viewers and fans could get access to scores and stories that are exclusive to the network. ESPN was based on investigative journalism and giving the audience information about the sports world. In the modern world of sports journalism, simple information about the sports world can be found anywhere.
From Instagram to TikTok to X to pod- forced mass layoffs for many sports casts and more. The idea of breaking broadcasting companies including big sports news is no longer exclusive ESPN. In the summer of 2023, they let to ESPN. go of many on and off camera talents Paly alum and current University and allocated more funding toward of Michigan stuhigh-profile personalities like Stephen dent Tyler Frick, A. Smith. These cuts who is involved are not in the sports inshowing dustry, has obany signs served these of slowing “We are a lready se changes first down and eing how the indus hand. every year try is sh ifting awa “I think the there are from trad y itional jou importance fewer and r nali roles and of sports fewer active towards m st ore producer writing is journalists roles, whe declining,” working for re one p e r s on produc Frick said. ESPN. Many e s whole pieces th “Stories are journalists and e m s e lv e s, from less read, analysts who research to final e social mespecialized in d iting and dia plays their specific publication .” a huge sports and field, — Morten part in now rely on a Bay it. Peosmaller number ple feel okay reading of people to be a headline, or watching a clip on social experts on everymedia to receive news rather than read- thing. ing a full story, because it takes way less Morten Bay, a professor and lecturer at time. It’s dangerous and unfortunate, USC Annenberg School for Commubut that is the way things are trending.” nication and Journalism, has seen this These changes in the industry have shift across the entire industry.
“We are already seeing how the industry is shifting away from traditional journalist roles and towards more producer roles, where one person produces whole pieces themselves, from research to final editing and publication,” Bay said. “This goes for both audiovisual and written journalism.” Retired sports journalist and author of “Dogs Chase Cars,” a memoir on the decline of the industry, Patrick Sangimino has lived through the changes that have influenced the journalism sector over the last few decades. Sangimino emphasises the repercussions that can come along with the industry’s transition to social media, where many more people have the ability to spread information. “Social media has created a world where everyone has a voice, but not everyone should have a platform,” Sangimino said. “Distinguishing between wellsourced, trusted information and half-baked opinion has created a situation where no one knows what is true anymore. The cries of fake news, sad to say, are sometimes not so far from the truth. Finding trusted news is a challenge, especially on social media platforms.” In the modern day, ESPN has transitioned to more of an opinions-based model. One of ESPN’s most popular shows, First Take, is based fully on debating about different stories in the sports world. The show often consists of one host that gives prompts and two or more analysts that debate the topic. Though these shows may be entertaining, they often don’t provide the audience with any extra information or stories
about the sports world. In addition to this, these shows are frequently criticized for stating false information. For example, First Take analyst Stephen A. Smith recently stated that the Warriors never made the playoffs since their 2022 championship run, despite them actually appearing twice more. People always make mistakes, but consistently talking off script with the intention of supporting certain opinions can lead to unreliability issues and poor journalism as a whole. ESPN has also made many big partnerships with professional sports leagues like the NBA and NFL. For example, Monday Night Fo o t b a l l and the NBA Finals are fully produced u n d e r the ESPN brand. In 2014, Bill Simmons, a well-known journalist for ESPN was fired because of the critical comments he made about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. He criticized Goodell for lying about the details behind a domestic violence case with former football player Ray Rice. Simmons was fired for using his voice and speaking out against the people in charge of one of the biggest sports leagues in the world. ESPN has also heavily transitioned to promote sports betting which has caused many to question their credibility. “[Look at] ESPN’s 180-degree turn on its stance on gambling and you can see the way this could impact journalistic accountability,” Sangimino said. One of the major factors of journalism in general is the trust between journalists, information providers and the audience. “Trust is immensely valuable when it comes to developing sources and building relationships,” Sangimino said. “It takes time, but if you’ve built that trust, they’ll have faith in giving
you information that they know will be treated responsibly and with great and accurate care. Readers need that kind of trust, too, especially in this age when stories that aren’t agreed with are labeled as ‘fake news.’” Sangimino believes that changes in journalism have reduced the number of journalists left at the highest level who have an incredibly high level of trust with their sources and speak freely in their stories. “Very few journalists practice that kind of investigative reporting any longer and for some reason, it’s no longer e x p e c t e d ,” Sangimino said. While there are concerns about the journalism industry dying as a whole, Sangimino believes that the industry may not be declining, it is simply changing.
are a s r e p a p s w e “N but dying medium mean ’t n s e o d t a h t journalism is ead.” d y il r a s s e c e n — Patrick Sangimino
“The internet has become an alternative option to newspapers and dwindling television journalism ratings,” Sangimino said. “Newspapers are a dying medium but that doesn’t mean journalism is necessarily dead. Consider photography’s transformation to digital. Yes, we generally have no use for film anymore, but we still take photos.”
However, this transition to digital media may still have negative effects on the world of journalism. “With fewer reporters and fewer column inches in the paper each day, most things don’t get covered,” Sangimino said. “High school sports is a great example of this. It was once the backbone of a thriving sports section but most papers don’t have the staff or the room to cover something.” With fewer and fewer newspapers, news deserts have become more prominent across the United States. News deserts refer to a geographical area with no news outlets and very little coverage. According to a study done by Northwestern Medill, the number of news desert counties rose to 213 in 2025 with an additional 1,524 counties with only one news source. Sangimino also believes that newspapers used to keep people in high positions in check, but as a result of growing news deserts, many people get away with acts that they wouldn’t have in the past. “City councils and school boards were once watched closely by the local paper,” Sangimino said. “Local politicians were held accountable by the coverage, but that’s no longer the case.” Many of these problems are a result of money. According to Congress.gov, “Revenues from print advertising declined
92%, from $73.2 billion in 2000 to $6 billion in 2023. Subscription revenues declined by more than 50%, from $15.8 billion in 2000 to $7.8 billion.” While newspaper revenues have been on the decline, the financial struggles started years ago. Sangimino believes the ignorance of news outlets led to years of financial struggles. “When the internet first came to be, newspaper publishers were arrogant and naively considered it a fad,” Sangimino said. “As a result, they put their product online for free. When they realized the internet was here to stay, they tried putting up pay walls, but after giving it away, people weren’t willing to pay for it.” The journalism sector hasn’t only changed in the form of newspapers and magazines but also in multimedia aspects such as podcasts. Edward Hand, a member of the Boston Red Sox podcast, “Pod By The River,” believes the changes have made it harder for listeners to get factual and qualitative information. “Podcasts are part of a broader shift where anyone can enter sports journalism regardless of background, lowering barriers to entry but also flooding the space with uneven quality that makes credibility harder to assess,” Hand said. “Over time, audiences tend to gravitate toward either the most informed voices or the most compelling personalities, which reshapes influence away from traditional gatekeepers and toward a more fragmented, competitive landscape. As a result, there is no longer a single dominant narrative, and with sports media becoming increasingly subjective, it’s unlikely the industry will return to its previous norms.” Players and coaches no longer need to go to reporters to give information and opinions on certain topics due to a large
increase in podcasts that feature them. From 2022, podcast monthly listeners have increased from one in three to half of the United States 12+ population. Athletes often leak important news that has been previously covered by journalists. Podcasts are changing the way fans get their information and are affecting journalists. Nowadays, there are fewer breaking sports stories published by companies as athletes no longer need journalists to tell them and can do so on their own. These changes in the sports journalism industry have also brought up many concerns about the difficulties of finding a career in this field. The need for good writers is simply dropping. “I do think it’s harder to pursue internships and jobs in sports because of the increased number of people wanting to work in sports.” Frick said. “People like me follow their passion and it has led to an oversaturation as far as finding jobs and pay. There are avenues within the sports industry where people take 50%+ pay cuts vs. other industries because solely working in sports is more culturally significant and fun.” This unyielding passion from many people may be the factor that keeps the industry afloat. “I do believe there is an advantage with sports journalism,” Bay said. “It’s not something anyone with a degree in journalism can do, it requires specialization. Thankfully sports is both a massive entertainment business as well as an area where most people have some sort of interest. In other words, whatever happens to news, there will always be a need for people who can produce sports news and content.” Recent technological advancements have also been a factor of creating the declining need for news outlets, especial-
’s “I do think it rsue harder to pu nd jobs internships a ause in sports bec ased of the incre ople number of pe ork in wanting to w sports.” k — Tyler Fric
ly AI. However, AI can still be full of many inaccuracies and most likely won’t fully replace human journalists for a while. “As for AI, I fear that it is an amalgamation of information, some of it bad info,” Sangimino said. “So, just like Wikipedia, it isn’t always trustworthy or even true.” An important factor in journalism is the human element as this factor takes raw statistics and turns them into words with weight. Technology won’t
be able to replace human factors such as ethics and unpredictability. The current state of journalism is filled with news deserts, media personalities and a void filled with mistrust. When media outlets prioritize revenue and not real reporting, the audience doesn’t get the true breakdowns that they deserve. As a result of the fading human element, there is a lack of accountability that can be enforced by the news. From news deserts to a rise in podcasts, journalism has been
changing with the w o r l d ; while some changes are for the better, others take away important factors that make journalism what it is.
ESPN Subscribers Overtime (Millions) From 2013 to 2022, the average number of ESPN subscribers dropped from 99 million to 74 million according to Nscreen Media.
Number of Newsroom Employees Overtime (Thousands) From 2008 to 2020, the number of US newsroom employees in news industries dropped from 114,000 to 85,000 according to Pew Research Center.
44 | VIKING MAGAZINE | vikingsportsmag.com
@vikingsportsmag | April 2026 | 45
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Advantage
The Final Word
By CARYS OLSEN and SILAS STEELE
In today’s competitive youth sports culture, kids are encouraged to commit to one sport early, but evidence suggests a multi-sport path may be healthier and more effective.
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y the time some kids turn 10, their entire sports future is being mapped out for them. Club practices pile up and weekend tournaments take over calendars. Sports that start as recess games or activities intended for fun, begin to consume their whole lives. In today’s sports culture, young athletes are constantly asked to pick one sport early, commit completely and close themselves off from other opportunities, creating an e x t r e m e l y competitive environment. But for most kids, that mindset can do more harm than good. The pressure to specialize young has become one of the most damaging trends in youth sports. Athletes are promised a faster track to success, yet often it leads to the opposite: overuse, injuries, burnout and a loss of the very joy that drew them to the sport in the first place. For most young athletes, playing multiple sports isn’t a distraction—it’s the most complete path to development. The American Academy of Pediatrics
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has warned that for most sports, early specialization can raise numerous risks. Sports-medicine groups have echoed this for years: concentrating year-round on one sport from a young age may seem practical, but it can come with real physical and mental consequences. If a child plays only one sport year-round, they repeat the same movements over and over, stressing the same joints and muscle groups. Eventually, d e v e l o p m e n t becomes less about becoming a better athlete and more about wearing down a specific part of the body. According to U.S. news and World Report, this can lead to chronic injuries and long-term issues like arthritis. Playing multiple sports interrupts that cycle. Different sports challenge the body and brain in different ways. Swimming builds endurance and shoulder strength. Lacrosse sharpens your hand-eye coordination and toughness. Water polo demands vision and grit. Soccer develops stamina and footwork. Each sport contributes something different—and together, they build a more
Playing a lot of different sports when I was younger made it easier for me to pick up new ones fast.
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— George Ladomirak (‘28)
complete athlete. That crossover matters. Research consistently shows that many elite athletes did not specialize early but instead developed a broad athletic base before focusing on one sport later in their careers. Paly junior and varsity diving captain Jensen Craig is a clear example. Growing up, he did soccer, baseball, basketball, swimming, diving, skiing and surfing. When he later committed fully to diving, he carried lessons and techniques from each of those sports with him. “Swimming really helped me understand the action of being in water and how it reacted around me, which helps me now with my entries being able to feel where the right positions are,” Craig said. “And soccer helped me with jumping higher and more precise motion.” This is precisely what early specialization overlooks. It assumes athletic development is linear—that doing one thing repeatedly will automatically make someone better at it. But athletes are not machines. The more varied their experiences are, the broader and stronger their foundation becomes. A consensus statement from the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine supports this, finding no evidence that most young athletes benefit from early specialization in the majority of sports. In other words, specializing early is not just risky. It is often unnecessary. Much of the pressure surrounding youth sports is driven by fear: fear of falling behind, missing out on a scholarship or
not doing enough to keep up with others. But the reality is far different. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), fewer than 7% of high school athletes go on to play college sports and only 3% go on to earn athletic scholarships. Despite these facts, youth sports culture often treats each practice as essential for the path to longterm success. Instead of exploring different sports, many kids are pushed into a single lane before they reach the age to know what they truly enjoy. When that enjoyment disappears, burnout is quick to follow. Burnout is one of the least discussed, yet most important parts of this issue. An athlete can be talented, competitive and hardworking, yet still become exhausted from doing the same thing year-round. Repetition doesn’t just strain the body, it wears down the mind. Playing multiple sports provides a reset. Each season feels different. Different teammates and different rhythms. One sport is able to refresh another, while giving athletes new challenges to explore, fueling their motivation for the next. Sophomore George Ladomirak’s experiences reflect this. Growing up, he played basketball, soccer, swam and played flag football. Now, he mainly focuses on soccer, but this year he decided to try lacrosse. He started on JV and was quickly pulled up to varsity. “I think playing a lot of different sports when I was younger made it easier for me to pick up new ones fast,” Ladomirak said. “A lot of the skills carry over more than people think. Each sport has given me a foundation for each new sport I try.” This adaptability is one of the most significant advantages of being a multisport athlete. It provides you with a new perspective and the ability to adjust skills necessary for any sport. A study of NBA first-round draft picks found that players who had participated in multiple sports in high school played a greater percentage of games, had longer careers than athletes who only played basketball and were less likely to suffer major injuries. The multisport group had just a 25% major injury rate, compared to 43% for the single-sport athletes. Even with research highlighting the risks, early specialization remains common. Many families still view focusing on one sport early on as the most reliable way to secure future opportunities, such as college scholarships or high achievement in competitive sports. This belief is often tied to research by psychologist K. Anders Ericsson, who studied deliberate practice in the
1990’s. His work, later popularized as the “10,000-hour-rule” suggested that to become an expert, there must be extensive, focused practice over a long period of time. This idea has carried over to athletic training and encouraged many young athletes and their parents to start early and commit fully to achieve expertise in their sport. Yet later research has clarified that this idea is oversimplified a n d misunderstood. E r i c s s o n ’s research was mainly directed towards musicians, academics and artists and did not account for the physical demands and risks associated with sports. He also emphasized that quality of practice matters more than the total number of hours someone trains, or how early they begin. Even so, some experts argue that early specialization can be beneficial in certain situations. Most commonly, individual sports like gymnastics, figure skating and tennis often require specialized training at a younger age. However studies on athlete development, most notably work by Dr. Jean Côté, show that even participating in one or two additional activities can help individual athletes. For example, if gymnasts participate in dance, they can develop a wider range of skills, better balance, rhythm and body control. While there are many pieces of data supporting multi-sports athletes, whether athletes actually explore other sports often depends on a variety of external factors. Parents often play a major role in the decision to specialize. Some encourage their children to explore different sports and follow their dreams. Others place all their eggs in one basket early on, believing it will maximize future opportunities. That pressure can come at a cost. One study featuring Dr. Eva Seligman from Johns Hopkins University showed that an estimated 70% of young athletes stop participating in organized sports by the age of 13. The leading reasons for young athletes dropping out are depression, stress, perfectionism and anxiety. As expectations rise, so does the stress placed on young athletes.
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Parental pressure and early specialization only amplify this trend. This pressure to specialize early can limit an athlete’s experience before they can fully understand what they enjoy. Craig’s experience shows a different approach. One that emphasizes exploring sports before committing fully to one. “My parents really encouraged me to do many sports so I never felt that pressure,” Craig said. “And when I did decide, I knew 100% that I wanted to only do diving.” His experience suggests that when athletes, even individual athletes, are given time to explore multiple sports, their eventual commitment becomes more intentional and meaningful. That feeling of being given a choice can help sustain longer term success for athletes. Even at a young age, specialization can turn sports into something rigid and demanding. The fun that initially draws athletes in can quickly disappear when the focus of their sport shifts entirely to their performance. If athletes do choose to specialize early, there should be a strong emphasis on rest, recovery and mental health. Ultimately, the benefits of early specialization do not outweigh the large amount of risks. Athletes should delay specializing as long as possible. As they grow older, they can gradually narrow their focus down to one, but the early exposure from playing multiple sports builds stronger and more adaptable athletes. Youth sports were never meant to be something placed on a college application. They were meant to be something kids actually want to continue pursuing.
When I did decide I knew 100% that I wanted to do diving.
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— Jensen Craig (‘27)
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