Student Athlete Standouts: fall sports

Sammie Lim

Student athletes are  required  to  balance both sports and school work. Considering  the changes in this year’s schedule,  it  has been  a challenge for students to find  the  time  for extracurriculars. These  athletes  make  significant contributions  to  their  team while still  excelling  in their  studies. San Marin student-athletes provide leadership and support to their team as well as their peers and classmates. Teamwork, leadership, are  some  of the   valuable skills  these  athletes  have gained in their sports. These individuals are the season of fall’s  student athlete standout. 

Ava Kaplan 

Sophomore Ava Kaplan has been playing tennis  for  seven  years, and feels support and encouragement from the  tennis  community throughout that time. 

“My most significant take away from tennis is just because you feel like you are  alone  on the  court,” Kaplan said. “You are never truly alone because  your teammates and  friends are cheering you on.” 

When playing a singles  match  last year, Kaplan felt the pressure of going against an advanced  player. During the  tiebreaker, Kaplan’s “mental  drive was starting to rebuild.” ended up winning. 

Raymond Lunde 

Senior Raymond Lunde is excited for the comeback  of cross country after being unable to compete  due  to  COVID-19 restrictions last year. 

Lunde’s curiosity led him to competitive running during 7th grade at Sinaloa  Middle School, and by joining  the team, “It brought comradery,” Lunde said. 

Lunde was inspired by Liam  Anderson (a former  student  at  Redwood High School) and his successes of winning state and receiving  a full scholarship to Stanford; he  became  determined  to do his best to follow in Anderson’s footsteps. 

Sally Césko

Sally  Cesko,  senior, has high expectations  set for both herself and her team this year. “I always try to be a positive  energy on the court,” Cesko said, “I want to be someone  who is fun to play with.” 

Cesko believes  that attitude and  confidence, from both the team  and the crowd, plays  a  huge  role  in how the game goes. 

“Everyone plays better when they’re feeling confident,  prepared,  and excited,”  Cesko said.  With that being said, she wants to remain  consistent  and  make the  most of this season in a team effort. 

Taj Mariano Perez 

Sophomore Taj Mariano-Perez is the first male  cheerleader San  Marin  has had  in  10 years.  He  wanted  to  “try something  new this  year” and he’s been enjoying the atmosphere of the cheer  team  since  the  start of the school year. 

“I knew I had to do it,” said Mariano Perez.  The support from his  friends  and  parents motivated  him to make the decision to become San Marin’s only  male cheerleader. 

Mariano-Perez says his biggest  takeaway from cheer is the trust he  is  able  to  create  with the  team. “Our girls are always there for one another,” Mariano-Perez said, “[cheer] is all about support and trust.”