Whittier athletics is expanding its horizon and hopping on planes.
This season so far, the Poet women’s soccer team has traveled to Washington D.C. to compete in two games and men’s football headed for the Pine Bowl in Spokane, Washington. The amount of time that goes into making these trips possible is astounding. It is a collective effort put forth by the players, staff, family, and friends as everyone comes together to take part in letter writing campaigns, camps, and even attending T.V. show tapings.
The trade-off for all this hard work comes in the experience gained while playing on unfamiliar ground.
“My ultimate goal in providing this opportunity is to help build the overall student-athlete,” said Monica Gerardo women’s soccer head coach. “I strongly believe that athletics is an avenue for developing life skills that can be utilized in any area of life, from work to school to family to relationships.”
Traveling also gives athletes an opportunity to experience new places and expand students’ horizons.
“We got to look at the history and monuments that we hear and read about, but never get to see because we live on the opposite coast,” says Kristina Velasco ’17, a right wing mid-fielder on the women’s soccer team.
According to Gerardo an added bonus to these trips is the chemistry developed amongst players and staff.
“You get to learn why someone ticks the way that they do,” she added. “In turn, this can help you develop new friendships, those that will last a lifetime.”
This week, the women’s volleyball team is gearing up for the Gallaudet Tournament hosted in Washington D.C. on September 27th.
