As the spring season arrives, a new batch of captains will lead Oxford Academy’s various sports teams! Whether they are found on the softball field, tennis court, or in the pool, this season’s captains bring their unique perspectives on leadership and create diverse dynamics in their squads.
Leading this year’s boys and girls swim team are Seniors Sophia Santos and Charlena Tran. With over a decade of experience, Santos says her favorite part about swimming is the meets, where you’ll find her giving pep talks to her teammates and cheering them on! Tran began swimming at the age of 10 and since then has committed so much of her high school career to be a leader in and out of the water. “Being captain, and being a leader is about your passion and dedication toward the team and the sport. It’s also how you treat others in and out of the pool,” Tran said.
This year’s tennis squad is a trio of dedicated and experienced players; juniors Derek Di and Jaden Zhang, alongside senior Charles Phan. “Being a team captain means being able to encourage all my teammates so they can play their best,” Zhang said. “Don’t worry about losing,” Di said when describing his key philosophies. This encourages him to engage in risky plays without the fear of losing the match. Phan’s motto is to keep pushing. A shared goal amongst the captains for the team this year is to make it past the first level of CIFs.
The boy’s volleyball team is led by senior libero Andy Ha and junior Dawson Nguyen. Ha’s approach to being a captain is leading by example and fostering an encouraging team environment. “The best piece of advice I’ve gotten was from our old assistant coach and he told me that it’s impossible to make a perfect play every time and to not worry about one bad play,” Ha said. “My best piece of advice I’ve received from a coach was back in my 14U year at club. My coach at the time told me ‘Practice like you’re the worst and play like you’re the best,’” Nguyen said. He hopes this year’s team wins the league championships and performs well at CIF championships.
This year’s track team captains are seniors Andrew Nguyen, Samuel Gatonye, and junior Lee Littler. “Being a team captain means setting the tone for the team, pushing others to exceed their limits, and creating a sense of unity where everyone feels like they belong.,” Nguyen said. Samuel’s goal for the year is to demonstrate the leadership skills that last year’s captains did. “Being the team captain means keeping practices enjoyable instead of intimidating, mostly by offering my support to my teammates whenever I can,” said Littler. Through their various interpretations of leadership, the trio is a hard-working and effective dynamic who hopes to achieve the collective goal of creating a supportive atmosphere for all their teammates.
Elijah Spessert and Logan Lavoie have both been playing baseball since the young age of 6. “When I was younger I sort of just played all sports and then baseball stuck with me,” said Spessert. Lavoie played both football and baseball growing up, but due to Oxford not having a football team, he found a home in the OA baseball program. Their favorite memory with the team so far has been winning the CIF Division VII Championships last year. Their approach towards being sports captains isn’t by demanding obedience but more so by creating close relationships with everyone on the team, which is part of the reason why they believe last year’s team was so successful.
Seniors Xiomara Martinez and Kuhu Gupta lead this year’s softball team. “I played when I was 6 but I stopped because I broke my finger and got scared. But I began again my freshman year,” Martinez said. She thrives off the energy and environment her team provides, who she says oftentimes feels like her family. Kuhu approaches leadership by acting as a role model for those around her, which is what she believes is key to a good leader. “You have to be comfortable with speaking up when you see something isn’t right, as well as being innovative to find solutions rather than complaining about problems,” Gupta said. After being semifinalists in the Division VII bracket, Gupta and Martinez hope to lead this year’s team to division champions.
