For some, sports can be a hobby, as many students utilize sports as learning experiences and ways to pursue their passions. This experience can be amplified by having a sibling involved in the same sport, as shared experiences can serve as a way to grow and improve through the support and encouragement of a family member.
Senior Phu Le and sophomore Tuongvi Le both participate in wrestling, but their two-year difference gave the younger of the two a slight advantage, Phu Le said.
“I think they (our experiences) have been similar even though I started earlier in the sport,” Phu Le said. “I kind of started her off, while I kind of had to go through a learning curve on my own, but I got to teach her a lot of the initial process.”
The younger of the two described her wrestling experience over the last two years as constantly improving, and she is grateful to have been continuously coached by her older brother, Tuongvi Le said.
“(Wrestling) can be really difficult and challenging at times, and the progress is never linear,” Tuongvi said.
One of the fondest memories they shared together occurred towards the end of this year’s season, when both siblings won their matches, Phu Le said.
“We were at CCS (Central Coast Section) championships in Watsonville, and our matches to qualify for state were right after each other, so we couldn’t really watch each other because she was on the other side of the gym,” Phu Le said. “She qualified first, and then a few seconds later I won my match and we both got the tickets to go to state.”
Another pair of siblings, senior Alex Althouse and junior Jordan Althouse, are brothers who are on both the track and field and cross country teams, and their experiences together have been beneficial, Alex Althouse said.
“I wanted to try something new with running, and it turned out to be one of the best decisions I have ever made,” Alex Althouse said.
As a result of the grade gap between the two brothers, Jordan was heavily influenced by Alex’s decision to participate in running and joined shortly after he started attending high school, Jordan Althouse said.
“I started in my freshman year just because Alex was doing it, and I decided that I liked it when I realized that I actually had potential in the sport,” Jordan Althouse said.
Both brothers believe that their relationship has helped teach them to train harder and achieve continuous progress, Jordan Althouse said.
“I do think that being related and living in the same home has helped us push each other mentally and physically,” Jordan Althouse said.
Alex Althouse believes that his and Jordan’s shared experiences have trained them to push each other to do better, and they have taken advantage of similar opportunities and attended a majority of the same competitions.
“Me and Jordan go pretty much everywhere together, and the opportunities to run are the same as well,” Alex Althouse said. “If one of us goes to a new level in the sport, we both know that the other is not far behind in making that same jump.”