By Derrick Smith

High school student-athletes work hard to be the best they can be. Along with all the work that they put in, they also can have any number of people that they look up to as role models. These could be people that are a part of their everyday lives or someone they watch from a distance like a professional athlete or celebrity.

Mariah Gaede is a member of the MacArthur High School golf team. She says that one person that has had the biggest impact on her life is one of the top golfers in the world. 

“As an athlete, Tiger Woods is one of the biggest influences on my life,” she said. “I am inspired by him because he had a microdiscectomy to remove a pressurized disk fragment that gave him a pinched nerve. He had a total of five back surgeries and still plays golf. This inspires me because I had my microdiscectomy in February and I am confident that I will be able to play golf and volleyball again soon.”

As a sophomore, Gaede has done a lot of work and preparation to be her best. She says that enjoying what you are doing is one of the most important things. 

“To be successful, you have to love the sport,” she said. “You can practice day and night and still not be happy with your results. If you don’t love the sport, then you’re never going to be able to reach your fullest potential. So I would say, if you enjoy what you’re doing then you’d do anything to be successful and that is what pushes me to be a better athlete.”

In both of her sports, Gaede and her teammates play several different teams. While there is not one specific team, she says that there is one group of teams that are more worthwhile to beat. 

“In volleyball, the opponents that I enjoy competing with the most are the private schools,” she said. “The private schools have a lot of athletes that play for travel teams which makes them more challenging. Beating the private schools is very rewarding because they are very competitive.”