Images provided by author. Top: Alex Paz.
We honor and celebrate an athlete’s extraordinary accomplishments each month. This month, we have decided to celebrate WHS soccer players Alex Paz and Paige Pineda. Alex is a cornerback and Paige is a forward. Paige and Alex have had a fantastic season thus far, aiding Washington’s ascent to the top of the standings. They have developed into a formidable force to be reckoned with on the field because of their amazing speed, agility, and accuracy. They always give 110% and leave it all on the pitch, whether they’re making plays, scoring goals, or defending against the other side.
The passion to their trade that Paige and Alex possess distinguishes them from other players. Their performance reflects their ongoing efforts to sharpen their abilities and learn novel tactics. They are also wonderful team players that work hard to uplift others and assist their teammates. They are renowned for their sportsmanship off the field as well, and are real soccer ambassadors: they both help out young kids with soccer and help them become better at the sport. They never allow success to go to their heads because they are always eager to put in the effort to learn and receive feedback.
When asked why she decided to do sports, Paige said, “I like being active so it made sense to play sports, and also the thought of soccer sounded and felt like the right choice for me.” She adds, “I started playing sports when I was 5, but I decided to do soccer when I was 6.” She described her daily routine as waking up for school, then going to practice, and usually going on a run before ending the day with homework and other activities. “My motivation comes from being the best player in my team,” she says. She was also asked if she sees herself playing soccer at the next level. She replies with “Yes, I see myself playing on the next level, especially since there are many clubs that I could join and also colleges.”
I also interviewed Alex Paz, one of the boys soccer team captains, about how his life has changed because of soccer. He decided to do sports because of his friend who played soccer. He has been playing soccer since he was 9 years old. He stated that “I get motivated since I know I can improve a lot and become better, also I love the sport and strive to be better.” He also stated that he sees himself playing at the next level since he has faith in his skills and abilities. His daily routine is very interesting: “My daily routine for practice [days] is that once I get out of my sixth period I wait for some of my teammates and we walk over there to the field.Then the coach already has the drills ready for us to warm up and get right into it. For my routine on game days (Wednesday and Friday), once I’m out of sixth period I go home and have a light snack since the game is at 6.We go out and warm up for a good 30-45 minutes. I always pray before the game is going to start, [before] the second half starts, and when the game is over. I feel like it gives me strength whenever I pray. After the game is over we all bring it in and get a break. We all yell out ‘huskies at me huskies 3, 1 2 3 huskies!!’”
These two athletes are an all-around absolutely amazing duo, and we are proud to name them our athletes of the month. We wish them the best as they continue to compete at the top level of the sport and look forward to witnessing all that they will accomplish in the future.
Gurshaan Sekhon is a senior at Washington High. He was born in India but moved to the US in 2016. He has recently joined the paper. He is interested in many things, including football, cultural foods, and cultural events. He does football and wrestling. His future plans are to become a member of the Army Special Ops Night Stalkers. Some interesting facts about him are that he has played cricket nationals in India and he also has some experience in the Fremont police department.