Behind the scenes of Carrillo’s underrated sports: passion hidden in plain sight

Maria Carrillo Badminton team holds a meeting before a match (Alexa Rios, The Puma Prensa)

Written by: Lauren Chavez, staff writer

Autumn at Maria Carrillo: leaves are falling, the air is brisk, and most students are discussing their outfits for Friday’s football game. The stands explode as our home team makes their winning touchdown, and the game’s highlights are blasted on Carrillo Live the following Monday. For good reason, these sports are prioritized in terms of advertisement at our school and receive the most coverage by Carrillo Live and the student body, garnering large crowds and high excitement around games and matches. 

However, behind the scenes, a plethora of underrated and underrepresented Carrillo sports are performing just as well, if not better, than the teams that take over the front pages. Women’s golf is winning every match in the league and tennis is slamming their opponents game after game. Most people only hear about these sports in passing or because they may have friends on the team, but they are rarely showcased on Carrillo Live or promoted heavily by the school. So why do these particular sports not have nearly as much interest or attention toward them as football, basketball, or volleyball?

Swimming, tennis, and golf all fall under this umbrella, and each one has its own set of challenges that make it unique.  Along with the talent and strength it takes to be good at them, these unique sports at our school are often underappreciated. They are overshadowed by the school spirit that usually draws people into sports like football or volleyball, which are continuously promoted with large amounts of effort and anticipation among the student body and staff.

Swimming, for example, takes place beginning in February and stretches until April, when the team pours their all into practices, working hard and preparing for meets. Throughout the season, the team focuses on building up endurance and speed, as well as honing in on techniques that will help them perform the best they can at meets. Practices last 1-2 hours, 4 days a week at the SRJC, where athletes pour their all into getting ready for the season. This dedication and time has led to Carrillo’s swim team being a 3 time Oak League and North Bay League champion, while also being undefeated last season. 

The turnout at their meets, however, lacks students and there is little information spread about the events and the team’s progression. Sophomore Chloé Benefield stated that the meets wouldn’t lack excitement “if it were more advertised and there was more hype to swim,” adding that “the team wins every time but it isn’t talked about much, if at all.” Benefield mentioned that swimming is a very physical and mental sport, and there is “a lot that goes into it that people don’t think about.” 

Another example of this is tennis, which is played in the fall and has lots of matches, but again, not much student turnout. When asked about the season, Sophomore Caitlin Feng mentioned that “the school doesn’t pay for the uniforms, which are expensive, so they are paid for by the kids on the team and coaches.” 

When comparing this to other sports such as volleyball or football, in which the jerseys are paid for by the school, it seems like there isn’t as much emphasis or attention paid to tennis. Sophomore Kaia Meyer added that tennis is worth it to join, as there is a “good team community and everyone is nice.” Meyer, Feng, and Benefield all mentioned that their sports were really fun and were great ways to meet new people and be a part of a winning community. 

If there is one sport that most people don’t even know that Carrillo offers, it is golf, which is played in fall for women and spring for men. Golf is rarely talked about or congratulated on Charrillo Live, even though the team wins most matches and practices hard 4 days a week. Senior Katie Winkelman, who has been on the women’s golf team since her freshman year, wishes other students “knew more about the community.” She adds that “everyone is really sweet and the team is a really helpful, great place to get started in the sport.” Only parents are allowed to attend matches, which is why there isn’t much of a student turnout, but the sport also isn’t recognized much on social media or Carrillo Live. 

Most people at our school either don’t or barely know that we have a golf team, let alone two, which is unfortunate as golf is a fun sport and teaches a lot of life lessons such as patience and good sportsmanship. Our golf team especially teaches beginners to learn the sport of golf in a relaxed and low-pressure environment, which, if advertised more, could draw those in who have always wanted to learn but were too intimidated or were nervous to be judged. 

Lastly, badminton is played in spring and draws a select number of skilled athletes who have led the team to victory at the NBL Championships. The team focuses on sportsmanship and a good team community, which makes it a great environment for both those willing to learn and those returning to the sport. Sophomore Cate Huynh mentioned that only around 30 students fill the stands at local games, however, and most of those are on the opposing team. She added that “the games would be way more fun, and we would be much more motivated” if more of the student body made an appearance at the games. 

While there is a huge amount of effort put toward the more popular sports at Carrillo, there are so many teams that are under-appreciated and put their all into games and practices for a meager turnout and little attention. These sports also teach the importance of a team bond and hard work to achieve goals just as much as others, which are valuable school and life lessons for anyone. On top of this, they can pull out wins and triumph over other schools despite not having much excitement from the student body, which shows how passionate these athletes are about what they do. Bringing them from their dusty corner into a new light through Carrillo Live, events, fundraisers, and announcements would bring new life to these sports and help others recognize how special they are.