Adi Shankar
I would say [that I enjoy practicing as much as actual games]…especially in the weight room. Working out is super fun, so I enjoy that aspect of practicing. I work out alone and I enjoy that. It’s like a way where you can just plug in and then just lift weights. You don’t have to worry about anything else…Practicing [baseball] is fun as well, because there’s no pressure, and you are just with friends…Not to say that the game is bad either.
Tatapu Vaili
[Something special about the sport is that] it’s really all up to you if you want to do the sport. When you step in there, you’re the only one so it’s very just you and self motivating. It teaches me a lot of things about balance. You have to have your feet correct, you have to be balanced, you have to be controlled, you have to be strong
Marcelo Cruz
Whenever there’s a big event in soccer, we get together, we reunite—family reunion—to watch the game and have a good time: family bonding. As well as, for example, the males in our family, we sometimes go out to just play in the soccer field…[with] my brothers, my uncles, [and] my dad. It’s like, we just, have soccer in our blood. 24/7…we’re always thinking about it. We’re always talking about it. We’re playing it.
Z Carracedo
Volleyball could also be considered an art, where you are constantly changing and constantly doing something on the court. You’re always moving…you’re never stationary. You’re always thinking about something or thinking about where the ball is gonna go next. And it makes it a lot easier to teach you how to think on your feet…It really does help…make quick decisions that work in the long run. And it also teaches you to take the wins when you don’t even intentionally make them.
Jaclyn Ruttenberg
I think a difference [between club and school basketball] is definitely the culture. When you play for your school, there are more connections. Everyone knows each other. When you go out to play for another team, it’s just a bunch of girls coming from different schools, and the cultures are definitely different from different schools. So I think playing at school is definitely better for me because I understand the system and the culture here.
