top of page
Tali Cooper

Athlete Spotlight: Makayla Garcia

Makayla Garcia is a senior athlete here at Valencia High School. Standing at 6’1”, she is the starting middle blocker for the girls’ volleyball team. This is her second year on varsity, and she loves the sport.When Makayla is not playing volleyball, she spends her free time reading or staying after school to fulfill her MSA hours.


Q: How long have you played this sport, and what inspired you to start?

A: I started in freshman year and what inspired me to start was that my friend was trying out, so I tried out with her. I’m tall also, so I just wanted to see what happened. 

Q: What position do you play, and why do you enjoy it? 

A: I’m a middle blocker and I like having to run around and go at a faster speed than everyone else on the court.

Q: What lessons has playing this sport taught you?

A: It has taught me a lot of resilience and also time management for school. Like, my first year was hard, but once I got used to it it was okay. Also, it has taught me mental toughness. You can’t get down on yourself.

Q: What has been your favorite moment throughout your athletic career?

A: It would be being able to do CIF last year, even though we didn’t win, at least I was able to experience it, unlike some other schools that don’t even get to make it. 

Q: What is the most challenging part of playing this sport/biggest challenge you’ve faced? 

A: It would be the overall stress, even going to practice can be stressful because I know when I get home I have homework and other things to do. So, you have to have time management to face the challenges, but then sometimes I’ll get stressed about the time management. Other than that, I also faced challenges, like freshman season I did not know what I was doing at all. I couldn’t jump, hit, or really do anything. I went through numerous people and sessions of strength training and eventually I could hit harder and was getting better. All the training and technique work paid off, and I came back sophomore year like a whole new player.

Q: Are you planning to continue this sport in the future? 

A: I don’t think I’m going to continue in college or anything, mainly because I want to focus on my academics. I would definitely play for fun though, go to an open gym or something, since it would be sad to leave the sport completely.Q: What is some advice you would give to freshmen or younger teens trying to achieve their goals?

A: I would say keep trying and don’t give up. Like, when I first started volleyball, I sucked, I would say I hated it and never wanted to go. But, if you keep trying and your mindset is to get better at something, you will get better. So, you just have to keep going and have confidence in what you do, and things will start to go your way.

Q: Is there someone in your life or in the volleyball community that you look up to the most?

A: I would say my dad, just because he’s never played, but he puts so much focus into it and goes out of his way to learn things about the sport. He has a lot of passion for it, and seeing him have that attitude and just knowing he cares so much makes me want to do good.

Q: Is there a fictional character that you relate to the most?

I feel like I’m Clifford the Big Red Dog, just because I’ve always been so tall and I sort of feel outside from everyone else in a way. Clifford is such a big dog and comparatively makes everyone else seem so small, which is also how it is for me!



Comments


Top Stories

bottom of page