When I was in high school, there was a stereotype that you couldn’t be smart and athletic. It wasn’t exclusive to my school. It’s been the way Hollywood has portrayed athletes for years—cue the “dumb jock.”
Whether you’re talking about Puck and Finn from “Glee”, Stifler from “American Pie”, Thad from “Blue Mountain State” or basically any cheerleader in any movie ever—just to cite a few examples—pop culture hasn’t been kind to athletes.
It’s a stereotype that, in my opinion, has long since expired. The athletes of Gilroy are prime examples of that.
As someone who found the balance between homework, sports and socializing difficult, I’m constantly amazed by what today’s young people can do. I’ve interviewed athletes of every sport—from football to swimming, cheerleading to soccer, wrestling to lacrosse—and basically all of them share the same sentiment: School comes first.
Good for them.
Kids today seem to have their priorities in order and it goes a little something like: Academics, athletics and whatever time is left over goes to teenage stuff. Don’t feel too bad though, their teachers and coaches here have a knack for making those responsibilities fun. Maybe that’s why they’re so successful.
Gilroy should be proud of its youngsters. The term scholar-athlete is commonplace here and that’s the way it should be. I was blown away by the laundry list of students that earned academic recognition at the Gilroy High Sports Awards on June 1—imagine a scroll that hits the floor and rolls for a good 10 feet before reaching it’s end. It was awesome.
These kids—not just at GHS, but Christopher and Gavilan as well—are seeing the bigger picture. Sports is a fantastic resource to help get school paid for and get the most elite schools to pay attention to you. There are three wrestlers on their way to Stanford next year, one of which is going pre-med. You don’t just “get accepted” to Stanford—that takes work.
When you have principals who have their Doctorates Degrees, athletic directors with their Masters and coaches with have high academic standards, good things are going to happen. The proof is in the pudding, Gilroy. This town has the recipe for success.
I think it’s time for Hollywood to rethink it’s description of the typical “jock.” If it wants a reference point, it need only look to Gilroy.
Whether you’re an athlete or not, all of you have worked hard to get to this point. Congratulations Class of 2014!
