How athletes respond to being undervalued

In high school, it can feel like the loudest people get all the attention. Sometimes the students who go overlooked are the ones showing the most resilience, determination, and heart, even if no one’s watching.

Senior Zamaria Bowdry-Primm has felt as if her own coach did not believe in her. In the past, when the coach refused to put her in the game, she reacted with “lots of emotion and tears.”

However, Zamaria is still fighting every day, proving everyone wrong.

“I have learned that everybody won’t see me for who I am, but I know who I am, and that’s all that matters,” she said.

Bowdry-Primm is not alone. Seniors Sorrell Darough has also felt undervalued in the past, but it has changed him for the better.

“When people underestimate me, something in me makes me want to prove them wrong. Whatever they say I can’t do, I do it even better than they could imagine. That’s when my confidence skyrocketed,” he said.

Furthermore, the majority of athletes have struggled with being undervalued, whether it was from a coach or other players.

For Senior Valentina Gonzalez, being undervalued made her training even harder every day.

“Being overlooked has made me the player I am now because I would train every day, and it started to show on the court. I believe that being underestimated is both a challenge and an opportunity, because you will have to work harder than everyone else, but it gives you a chance to better yourself to be able to prove you deserve to be there,” she said.

Being undervalued doesn’t mean you’re not important; it just means students might not see your impact right away.

Everyone matters. Sometimes the ones who go unnoticed end up making the biggest difference.

At the end of the day, being underestimated can actually be a strength, because it pushes you to prove yourself time in and time out.