Dual sport grit: Meet this 13-year-old Upland area athlete
UPLAND, Calif. — Meet 13-year-old Ethan Gonzalez; a club volleyball player and track athlete as well. Ethan attends Pioneer Jr. High School. In his young lifetime, this 7th grader has participated in several sports such as baseball, soccer, flag football, cross country and martials arts. Ethan has participated in volleyball for about eight months and track for one year.
Ethan currently plays 13U volleyball for the club, IMUA, under coach Ken Habaradas and trains and competes for track with the club, Fleet Feet Gazelles, under coach Caleb Potts. His favorite track event is the 1500 meter; a longer distance race equal to almost four times around a 400-meter track. He shares that a personal goal of his is that when he gets to high school, he wants to make varsity for both volleyball and track. So far, a challenge he has faced in both of these sports is finding the strength to keep going when his body is so very tired.
“I can’t just stop,” he states. “I have to keep playing throughout the game until I get a break or finish.” The best advice he was ever given was to use his knowledge and strength to his advantage.
What Ethan loves about both of his sports are his teammates and playing alongside them. Outside of sports, he really enjoys hanging out with his friends and going shopping at the mall. He describes his personality as thoughtful and considerate towards others, a great friend to have! You will find Ethan snacking on beef jerky or fruit like mangoes, pineapples, peaches, and strawberries and his favorite music he listens to before a game is R&B artist, Steve Lacy.
Being a member of a team has taught Ethan to work together with his teammates and try hard to get along with each one; if you do that you can achieve many goals with your team. The best piece of advice he received from a coach would be “If you feel like you’re going to throw up, you’re doing good.” Mistakes happen when you’re young and learning new skills.
“A mistake I made while playing in my first volleyball tournament was when I was going to hit the ball, I got confused by who the setter was setting the ball to,” he shares. “It turns out it was for me and I let the ball hit the ground.” Ethan learned from this and now has the wherewithal to go after the ball whenever it comes to him!
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