Max Glater-Chacon, Berkeley High School senior and rower on the varsity crew team, first discovered his joy for the sport the summer before his freshman year when he attended a week-long Berkeley crew program.
It was there out on the water, under the guidance of freshman crew coach and mentor, Coach Chris, where Glater uncovered his passion for rowing and embraced his love for the sport, “I was there for a week, just getting out of the house and I just really enjoyed being out on the water. I pictured every day would be as sunny as and as warm as it was then,” Glater said.
In the sport of crew, which is built up of predominantly white athletes, Glater has noticed the racial gap and lack of Latino representation. “Crew is a really white sport, so it was noticeable to me from the first info meeting I went to at the start of the school year,” Glater said.
Despite the sport’s racial imbalance, Glater believes the team provides a space for him to be himself and doesn't view the lack of diversity as something that holds him back. “I haven't really felt at all disadvantaged by that. I haven't felt like I'm isolated in any way … It's definitely been something other teammates noticed, but it hasn't shaped my experience on the team,” Glater said, “I really think that the sport can be for anyone. Anyone can succeed at the sport as long as they work hard.”
Berkeley High School senior Margaux Rocha is a competitive swimmer and has been playing water polo for the past six years. This year she is serving as one of BHS’s varsity water polo captains.
Rocha doesn't feel that her culture has been a large factor in her athletics, however she appreciates the many resources that enabled her to grow up being a strong swimmer. “A lot of my dad’s side of the family was not taught how to swim. I think it's a really big step for me to be playing this hard sport … My whole life I've always known how to swim,” Rocha said.
In both high school and college level water polo, the majority of players are White, which means there is very little diversity. “(Water polo’s Latino representation) is not terrible but it's not a lot, which kind of makes it hard for me to look up to people who don't have the same background as me,” Rocha said, “I think it's super special to see people that play who are like me, who are mixed, or who are Latina … It's really special to see those people be a part of communities I identify myself with.”
Jaslene Sanchez, a senior, has been a dedicated member of the flag football team for three years. Playing as a receiver, she takes pride in both her accomplishments and the culture she brings to the team.
Sanchez describes her cultural background as central to who she is. “I would say my Mexican heritage is a big part of who I am as an individual. My culture definitely helps create who I am as a person, and it allows me to understand myself, and I carry a lot of the values, especially like a strong work ethic,” Sanchez said.
Her family's support has been key to her development as an athlete. “It influenced my journey as an athlete because it allowed me discipline and to be able to be in a supportive group,” Sanchez said.
When asked about challenges, “I think one thing is the assumption that, like, we (people of Latinx heritage) don't get anything done. Like, we just show up for the sport and that's it, when in reality, I do so much more outside of sports,” Sanchez said.
For Sanchez, representation is very important to her in sports. “Never be scared of who you are, especially coming from Latina backgrounds … don't let people push you down,” Sanchez said.
Enrique Sotelo, a senior, has been playing baseball since he was seven years old. Although he played a handful of other sports as a kid, baseball was the one that won his heart. Now, as a senior at BHS, Sotelo has been committed to his athletics for a little over a decade.
Sotelo feels his culture has a strong effect on him both as an athlete and also a fan of his sport. “In baseball, Latino players play with this certain energy, this kind of enthusiasm to the game … It's easy to relate to them more, and I find them more interesting and fun to watch,” Sotelo said. He has also experienced prejudice when it comes to his ethnicity. He mentioned being openly stereotyped and judged about his demeanor, commonly being labeled as overconfident or even cocky. "There's always a certain kind of image that comes with being Hispanic and playing baseball. Some people look at you differently. Some people have these stereotypes they've built around you for whatever reason … Obviously prejudice is always going to be there. I just go out there and play my game,” Sotelo said.
Berkeley High School Senior Adriana Ovalle Rojas is taking pride as this year's new swim captain. As something that has shaped both her identity and her journey as an athlete, she strongly represents her Guatemalan heritage. Her parents immigrated from Guatemala in 2005, and their determination inspires her to push herself. “I come from a family of hardworking people. When I do something, I try to do it the best I possibly can,” she said.
According to the Collegiate Water Polo Association, water polo is a sport that has historically had a majority of white athletes. “Sometimes I just feel not left out, but I feel like out of place,” Ovalle Rojas said. However, despite challenges she has worked her way to becoming team captain. “I wasn't really the best in the sport when I first started my freshman year,” Ovalle Rojas said. Despite this, encouragement from her family kept her going.
She now hopes to inspire younger athletes. “Don't let other people's stereotypes bring you down,” Ovalle Rojas said, “Just because things are hard doesn't mean they won't get better.”
For Ovalle Rojas, her Guatemalan heritage means a great deal to her. She feels that in the U.S., immigrants are often looked down on, which makes it important for her to represent her culture. Showing pride in her background is a way of letting others know, “we’re here and it's not wrong to be here.”
After blocking a goalbound shot from reaching the back of the net at the age of five, Berkeley High School senior and varsity soccer outside back Joaquin Jackson sparked his love for the sport of soccer.
Inspired to pick up the sport by his older brother who played soccer before him, Jackson now views his brother today as an influential figure in his soccer journey. “He started the idea of me playing soccer. He also motivated me to keep playing and I looked up to him as a player too,” Jackson said.
On and off the field, the sport has allowed Jackson to foster a tight knit community with his fellow teammates and gather skills that he can translate to other aspects of his life. Jackson feels that the principles of hard work and discipline attached to knowing his role out on the soccer field have helped him to become a more driven person.
Drawing from his Mexican heritage and soccer’s impact on Mexican culture, Jackson feels a sense of connection to the sport and his family. “In (my mother’s) family and in Mexican culture in general, soccer is a pretty big part of their life and that went on to me,” Jackson said.