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Junior Christopher Gomez is a cornerback and wide receiver on the Van Nuys High School varsity football team. He was inspired to join the team during his junior year of high school when his friends and coaches continuously told him to join the sport.
Gomez was extremely hesitant to join due to fear of getting injured but after a while of convincing by his peers, he built the courage to finally join the sport. It took a long while to really adjust to this new sport due to never really playing contact sports.
After a long process of hard work he grew a strong love for the sport and was chosen to be on the varsity football team.
Football has mentally helped Gomez by giving him a purpose of feeling accepted. Which boosted his self esteem helping him feel like a stronger individual especially in times when facing tragedies.
“It really boosted my self esteem as well, I now believe in myself whenever I face challenging situations and I feel strong as a person,” Gomez said.
During tough times, his family and coaches are the ones to keep him motivated to continue pushing to his limits. They always give him words of affirmation, motivating him to strive while in practice and in games so his team can succeed.
“They taught me, if you’re going to do something, why not be the best at it,” Gomez said. “You only live once so make the best out of every opportunity you get.”
There is absolutely nothing he would change about the sport. Football is one of a kind giving an energetic feeling no other sport could empower. The culture, fans and players is what really impacts the game making it fun to play.
If football wasn’t the sport for him he’d partake in basketball or soccer. Before focusing on football those two sports were his main interests.
As a football player his biggest challenge was the physical change in the sport. Since football is a contact and collision sport unlike soccer and basketball he had to adjust to the big hits leading to complete body soreness.
“It took some time to get used to the bumps and bruises,” Gomez said.
If Gomez were to give a piece of advice to someone who aspired to play at a high level it would be to never give up and push to the limits needed. His coaches and family constantly told him remarkable words that he would tell others in hopes that it would get them as far as they got him.
“My coaches and family told me if you do something why not be the best at whatever you do, I would pass that inspiration down because it really helped me get to where I am,” Gomez said.
Gomez takes his time when handling a disagreement with a teammate. He makes sure both sides are heard to see right from wrong in the situation to resolve the issues occurring.
“I handle disagreements with teammates by hearing them out so I can understand what they are thinking because I may be wrong or they may be wrong so I take time for us both to explain what we are disagreeing on,” Gomez said.
He stays committed to the sport as the coaches are committed to coaching them. Gomez claims loyalty is a big requirement in a sport if you wish to acquire great talent. Playing a sport gives him more caution to maintain a good grade point average because he could risk it all resulting in him becoming ineligible to play.
As for his personal life, it gives him a sense of escape if he’s ever going through rough times. It helps him mentally in preparation to overcome real life situations and challenges.
