This extraordinary jock is as sweet as can be
– but one topic is taboo to the self-described
”
true Giants fan.
”
”
I dislike, with a passion, Dodger fans. I can’t stand them,
”
says Dani Hemeon.
NAME: Dani Hemeon
AGE: 17
GPA: 4.19
DREAM JOB: A physical therapist for injured athletes, possibly working in rehabilitation
FAVORITE QUOTE: Anything from “Miracle,” the Disney movie about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team
This extraordinary jock is as sweet as can be – but one topic is taboo to the self-described “true Giants fan.”
“I dislike, with a passion, Dodger fans. I can’t stand them,” says Dani Hemeon.
Lucky for her, the chances of Hemeon’s roommate being a Dodgers fan look slim when she attends the University of Iowa come fall.
A scholar athlete with an infectious grin, Hemeon is a recognizable powerhouse in the Gilroy High School Athletic Department. She’s played three sports all four years of her high school career – including basketball and softball – but admits, “field hockey is my love.”
Field hockey loves her back: Hemeon made All-CCS First Team and was named league MVP this year.
That’s on top of maintaining a 4.14 GPA; an academic feat not without its share of late-night study sessions poring over homework assignments and class projects. Her high grades are testament to the fact Hemeon knows a thing or two about playing hard and studying even harder.
It’s not a bad segue to the next chapter in life, where Hemeon will cross sticks with worthy opponents and spread her wings as a University of Iowa Hawkeye.
“A few other schools had contacted me and asked if I wanted to play there, but I visited U of I. It had really strong program and I loved the school,” said Hemeon, who will depart Gilroy in early August and bunk up with an incoming teammate from New Jersey. Players dive into practice several weeks early, she explained.
Initially Hemeon wasn’t sure what major to declare when she picked marine biology, however she’s considering switching to physical therapy or kinesiology.
Which might be for the best, considering there’s no ocean in Iowa.
Though she’ll be thousands of miles away from home, Hemeon has no fear when it comes to embracing new challenges and embarking on a post-high school adventure in the state of corn.
The one apprehension she does have, however, echoes the fears of other GHS seniors who are squeamish when it comes to kissing goodbye the luxuries of home.
“I’m nervous about leaving parents,” she admitted sheepishly. “Because my mom still does my laundry.”
NAME: Jasmine Yanez
AGE: 18
GPA: 3.58
DREAM JOB: “To travel the world and have experiences, like skydiving and bungee jumping.”
FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL MEMORY: Her freshman year of wrestling, when Yanez pinned an opposing player who was rude to her mom before the match
Imagine being the only sixth grade girl to try out for the wrestling team.
“I would get tossed around like nothing at practice,” recalled Jasmine Yanez.
Six years later, the tables have turned.
Yanez is a formidable force on the Gilroy High School wrestling program, leaving behind a dogged legacy as she prepares to join the wrestling team at Menlo College where she’ll study business.
That’s after training camp in Colorado, competing with the world team in Brazil and departing for a second tournament in North Dakota.
“I’ll probably have two weeks out of the whole summer to spend time with friends without me seriously training,” she said.
Yanez is still blown away how things have evolved from a split decision made by her parents, who told their daughter she needed to pick a sport in junior high – or else they would pick it for her.
“I had no idea what wrestling was,” said Yanez, whose initial opinion of the sport was based on the WWE.
The “Jasminator,” as GHS Principal Marco Sanchez calls her, has come a long way since then.
One of her favorite memories, she said, happened when Yanez’s mom overheard another player complaining to his mom, saying ‘they have me wrestling a girl.”
To which his mother replied, “no, they have you wrestling a wrestler.”
“This one kid thought he had it in the bag,” said Yanez. “I pinned him.”
As if Yanez couldn’t fend for herself, her teammates get very protective and sometimes behave like “brothers” or “dads.”
“They flare up when other guys talk to me sometimes,” she said, “but I don’t mind.”
Yanez isn’t alone anymore when it comes to female fighting power. There are eight women in the GHS wrestling program – with Yanez’s parents at the helm.
“No one else in my family has ever done this before, ” she laughed. “And now they’re the coaches of the women’s team.”
Yanez says she loves to prove people wrong. It’s a personal motto that seems to be serving her well.
“I had to prove myself to those boys, not only because I was a girl coming into this, but because nobody thought I could do it,” she said. “I’m one of those people who if you say I can’t do it, it’s going push me harder.”
