Spotlighting Awty Athletes

Awty’s Athletics Department is flourishing with a variety of different sports. Let’s hear what some of our student athletes have to say about their sports endeavors!

Sophomore Clara Cox started playing field hockey in the 8th grade and is a member of Awty’s Field Hockey team and Pride Field Hockey Club. When asked about one of the hurdles in balancing school and athletics, she states that she manages her time by doing her schoolwork on days she doesn’t have practice, and that her “friends cheer her up” when she feels overwhelmed or demotivated.

Sophomore Charlize Chou is a member of Awty’s Volleyball team and Texas One Volleyball Club. She states that one of the biggest hurdles in being a student athlete is prevention from injuries. Especially being a volleyball player, she notes that “career-ending injuries” are at a high risk of occurrence.

Chou recalls a lesson she learned when she tore her quadriceps muscle over the summer, and “even walking was a struggle,” she says. Being restricted from playing her sport during this time taught her to be more cautious about surpassing her limits.

Senior Tanishka Padhye is an internationally ranked fencer who represents Alliance Fencing Academy. She mentions that “to succeed, you need not only strength and strategy, but also the right mental state.”

Padhye mentions that she had experienced periods of “consistent national wins” followed by “long stretches of failure,” which almost broke her character. However, her perseverance helped her keep going, and now she can confidently say that “fencing gave [her] a fighting spirit” that she plans to carry on for the rest of her life!

Freshman Preston Zhu, a member of Awty’s Swim Team, started swimming in second grade, with “encouragement from his sister.” He noted that his biggest hurdle was the Covid pandemic, as he couldn’t practice for two years. However, he overcame this struggle by “swimming at his friend’s pool” during this time, which allowed him to improve his skills through collaboration.

Zhu reflects on his swimming history and states that the most important skills he learned from his sport are concentration and determination especially because “swimming is a very tiring task.” He reminds himself of “the finish line” when completing tasks in and out of the pool and stays motivated “by the outcome of his hard work.”

Overall, Awty’s Athletics Department is filled with bright and talented athletes who apply themselves in athletic disciplines and their personal lives! We’re excited to see how they flourish in the near future! Go Rams!