Everyone has a role model or someone to look up to, and usually that person is a parent. What parents do, kids usually end up doing just as well. Sports are no different.

At a young age, there is not much of a choice in the matter of what to participate in, but as years go by, there is more of an option in what kids get to do when it comes to sports. What a parent does is often reflected onto their kids, creating a path for them to follow. In high school sports, the blossoming of athletes’ skills are extremely high, to the point where it can make a huge impact on their lives.

Tracy Henkel, mother of sophomore Victoria Henkel, is a prime example. During T. Henkel’s softball career, she pitched and played second base along with outfield, compared to V. Henkel, who plays third. Despite the difference in their positions, their sports careers are very similar.

“When it comes to my mom’s opinion, it’s pretty important to me,” V. Henkel said. “But I do what makes me happy. I don’t ever want to do anything to upset her, but her opinion still does mean a lot to me.”

The thought of not being able to have freedom in their choice of what sport to play is something a lot of athletes would never imagine.

“I played sports in high school,” T. Henkel said. “I was most active in cheerleading and softball, but my girls didn’t acquire my love for cheerleading and I never pushed them to. We gave them options and let them decide what they really liked and what they wanted to stick with.”

When entering high school sports, the competitive aspect is already there. But when there is also a parent’s personal objective for that athlete, the stress level to be the best as can be is pushed to an all -time high. Sophomore Varsity field hockey and soccer player Karina Steitz also followed the footsteps of her mom, alumna Tonya Mitchell.

“I made Varsity for both sports as a freshman, and it was a lot of pressure being younger on Varsity,” Steitz said. “I feel like even though they don’t say stuff, in my head I have to live up to her expectations. So I have to be pretty good at a sport, because she played them. I’m her daughter, so I have to be.”

Following in her mom’s footsteps, Steitz is currently involved in every sport her mom was back when she was in high school.

“My parents were firm believers in the benefits of being involved in multiple activities, especially sports,” Mitchell said. “Being in multiple sports was encouraged, so we didn’t have to play year-round in one sport.  I think that took some of the pressure off compared to today. I would never force her to play a sport, but it was clear Karina was a natural athlete,”

Parents often pave a path for their kids to walk in. They make a huge impact on sculpting who their child will become, as did their parents, and even the parents before them. Whether it’s sports, hobbies, or anything else picked up from parents, following a different path may work just as well.