She wants to be different, wants to get recognized, and wants to try something not many people could handle. Junior Veasna Samol is taking on three spring sports: badminton, softball and track. “It was a challenge and I (thought) I could handle it,” she said. “Therefore, I took up the challenge.”

Samol also plays volleyball and basketball during the fall and winter. Time management is a very important part in taking on so many sports at one time. “Doing all three sports is a struggle, but I have to manage my time for homework and sports,” Samol said. Doing all these things is very stressful and she needs to work hard to finish all of her school work. She knows sports are important but grades are important to her too. “Sports motivate me to keep my grades up.” 

“There are days I can’t attend practice and there are days when I have two games on the same day,” she said.

One example was when she had a track meet and at 4:45 p.m., she had to leave to go to a softball game and did not get to pick up her medals from the races she won.        

Samol’s parents had no impact on her motivation to attempt playing three sports, nor did her older sister. “Me and her are like two different people and, she is a girly girl and I am more of the tom-boy girl,” Samol said.

Her motivation is different than the usual student.  It is not from following in an older sibling’s footsteps or from her parents pushing her to do sports.  “I want to get recognized in all these sports,” she said. She not only wants to be recognized by her peers, but wants to be noticed by colleges too.           

 Samol’s peers respect her for taking on the challenge, and some students would like to do the same thing. “I want to do more than one sport and I like being like Veasna,” junior Vivian Vasquez said.          

Samol enjoys the challenge of participating in many sports at one time.  However, the sport that is of most interest to her is basketball. “The sport is fun and something I want to improve on,” Samol said.          

The thought of her giving up is unthinkable for Samol. “I am not a giver-upper,” Samol said.

Samol also believes she has a commitment to make. “I have to finish what I started, people depend on me,” she said.  She doesn’t want to let anyone of her teammates or her coaches down.  They all rely on her and depend on her since she is a very important player for all three sports.

“She is a good player but she could be better if she came more often,” said badminton coach Hung Nguyen. “But because she has other commitments we just try to get her out  there as much as we can,” since she is the reason why they’re so successful this year since the team’s filled with inexperienced players.

Although all three sports can be  exhausting for Veasna, she still takes all of them seriously, said Vasquez.

Her commitment is not only important because of her ability to play, but also to cheer her teammates on even when they don’t want to play or when they have a personal problem. “She makes people laugh,” junior Catalina Taitague said.         

“She is a good teammate,” Vasquez said.