As fall sports approach the mid-season mark, each squad has cultivated a unique team spirit and chemistry. Whether in the gym, on the tennis courts, or the golfing range, OA’s fall sports captains carry the weight of the responsibility of making the team mesh and embodying the team’s camaraderie.
Senior volleyball captain Elyannah Sonza has played volleyball for over 10 years. On the court, Sonza can be found giving her teammates high fives after every play and constantly keeping her squad energized and motivated. She prides herself on keeping a growth mindset while maintaining a firm balance of game intensity and fun. “Something I like to emphasize is just bringing up the intensity no matter what the other team is doing,” Sonza said. “Playing to our level, and just being mindful within a game, balancing the fun aspects of it.” Off the court, Sonza balances her school work with being captain of Oxford Academy’s Dance Crew (OADC).
This year’s varsity girls cross country captain is a dual sports captain, Sophia Santos. Whether on the track or in the pool, Santos consistently leads by example and mixes team bonding fun with hard work. “One of my favorite memories was when coach told us to go on around a 30-40 minute run, but we secretly just walked to Frostbites,” Santos said. She’s always willing to lend a helping hand to her teammates and strives to always do what’s best for the team, even if that means a quick ice cream run! Sophia can be found alongside Sonza in OADC as well as repping Oxford’s Filipino cultural club.
As the only senior on the golf team, Melody Oh leads the revived OA squad in their second season back. Oh was placed in a difficult position in her junior year with the return of the golf team, but she was able to balance getting through her AP classes and building up the primarily underclassmen crew. “…in the end, I just kind of motivated myself, like, yes, golf is important, but school is equally as important,” said Oh. Along with her captain responsibilities, Oh is part of Oasis Jesus Club and prides herself on being a well-rounded student-athlete.
Last but not least, the girls tennis team is led by seniors Ivy Nguyen, Janice Lee, and Olivia Kang. The three work together to create a cohesive team dynamic filled with laughter, hard work, and loads of snacks. Group captaining allows the girls to split up responsibilities and successfully keep the team in good shape, communicate with coaches and players, and balance individual workloads. Along with maintaining a strong team dynamic, the captains strive towards creating personal connections with their players and keep an open heart and mind with players, “…overall we just try to be as respectful as possible and try to understand how they’re feeling, but then also take into account the rest of the team and just try to find what works for everybody,” Lee said. Apart from team building, the captains also focus on bonding, having pep talks before each match, and playing their favorite throwback mixes are always in the cards for this 2024 tennis squad.
No matter the sport, it’s clear that leadership takes passion, balance, and a little bit of fun! As these captains prepare to finish their last sports season right, they’ll continue to take these team-building experiences and look forward to building upon them in the years to come.
