As they grapple for a position with the clock ticking down, Paly wrestler and junior James Otuhiva and his opponent Joshua Arevalo wait for the whistle to blow. For the victor, the whistle signifies greatness: offering not only a place in the State competition but a spot on their championship wall. For the other, it signifies going home empty-handed. When the whistle blew on Feburary 10, 2024, Otuhiva became the victor of his match, placing third at the CCS Coast Section Masters.
Otuhiva, a member of the Paly varsity wrestling team, prides himself on his hard work, dedication, and commitment to wrestling. Motivated by his teammates’ dedictaion, Otuhiva was able to grow as a wrestler.
Many athletes at Paly look up to role models, whether they be professionals or fellow students. Role models play a huge part in both stimulating and improving athletes’ performances, giving them an established level of performance to work toward. Athletes generally try to imitate how the person they look up to plays in order to improve their own performance.
“Someone that I look up to that used to go to Paly, is Nick Heroes,” Othuhiva said. “He was not really the best technically, but he always had a really big heart and always gave it his all every match. So that stuck with me, and really influenced me to do the same.”
Another example includes Hannah Oh, a sophomore on the Paly swim team, who has someone she looks up to — she has asked to keep them anonymous — and has tried to mimic their technique and race strategies to try to improve her ability to swim.
“I look up to a senior on the team because she has had a lot of experience and has gone through most of the things I am going through right now,” Oh said. “I sometimes try to imitate her to improve my own performance because she has good technique and strategies she employs when she is struggling either physically or mentally.”
According to a Sports Financial Literacy Academy article, athlete role models are associated with high levels of discipline, perseverance, and never giving up on their goals, despite the obstacles they may face. Because professional athletes embody the ideas of discipline and grit, athletes who look up to them are generally more motivated to persevere and work on their own goals.
For Silvia Rodriguez, a junior on the Cross Country team, her teammate Amaya Bharadwaj (‘26) has been inspiring her to perform at a higher level.
“I really look up to Amaya because she is just been so successful despite the fact that she moved here at the beginning of ninth grade,” Rodriguez said. “She has been such an integral part of both the Track and Field and Cross Country team and she is really dedicated herself. I feel like she has constantly been a leader and inspired others. During practices, she is always running ahead of the boys and pushing everybody else to be the best that they can be on the team.”
These upperclassman leaders make significant impacts on their teammates. Their impact is felt across the team and is crucial to motivating their teammates and making the program better.
For many Paly athletes, teammates are not the only possible role models pushing them to be their best— some athletes also look up to celebrities. Dom Hernandez, a junior on the Paly Football team, looks up to a player on the San Francisco Forty-Niners.
“One person I look up to is Nick Bosa on the forty-niners,” Hernandez said. “He’s a defensive end and we both play the same position, so he definitely inspires me to play the way he does. On game day, he’s very ferocious and plays very fierce. I like to model the way he plays during my games.”
Inspiration can change athletes’ awareness of their capabilities, confidence, and motivation. These inspirations can substantially benefit athletes, as it gives them someone to model themselves after. Swimmer Meryem Orazov (‘26) reveres widely known olympic distance swimmer Katie Ledecky.
“I look up to [Ledecky] because we both are distance freestylers and I feel like I have a lot to learn from just looking at her stroke technique,” Orazov said. “I see from her races that she really emphasizes her pull when she swims. From watching her swim, I’ve started trying to focus on my pull during practices and at meets.”
Junior and water polo player Mila Bynum had the chance to meet her idols on the US national Women’s Water Polo team last summer.
“The USA national team came to play at Paly and we got the opportunity to meet them and ask them questions on the sport,” Bynum said. “It was really cool to see them in person and since then, I’ve looked up to them and tried to replicate their strategies in the game.”
Professional athletes exemplify the potential that younger student-athletes can reach if they persevere. Along with this, role models can also embody the values of support, teamwork, and positive mental attitudes. One such example is junior and baseball player Nate Robinson, who looked up to his teammate Ari Solar-Eisenberg (‘24) for his outstanding sportsmanship.
“I looked up to Ari because last year, he was a great teammate, and he was always nice to the younger guys,” Robinson said. “I want to eventually be like that when I’m a senior and hopefully become a team captain.”
Idols in sports play a crucial role in shaping and inspiring others, whether by fueling their motivation or encouraging them to become more supportive teammates. Athletes at Paly have the ability to set a positive example for younger athletes, by demonstrating hard work, integrity, and collaboration. By doing so, they can cultivate a legacy of leadership and inspire the next generation to thrive both on and off the field.
