Journey on the field

By: Norah Lazetera

Phan, a Junior at Yerba Buena High School, finds joy each moment he steps onto the football field. 

Phan’s interest in this sport started when he was about 7 years old. “My dad used to watch football with me,” he said, “but it was mostly my cousins' cause they enjoyed playing it too.So they would invite me out to the streets and we would just throw the ball around and run routes.”

He didn’t play during his freshman year. Phan says, “I didn't know anyone doing it.” Sophomore year came around and he was then persuaded by his friends to attend conditioning one day.

That was the day he realized he wanted to become a part of the football team. “I realized after the first practice basically because of how fun everything was even with the hard conditionings.” said Phan, ”It just made everything more fun cause I had all my friends around me.” Football conditioning is training to prepare a player’s body and mind for the unique physical and mental challenges of the sport. Its main focus is to enhance speed, endurance, and strength.

Phan then made the team, and it easily became his motivation. Phan said, “looking around me and seeing my teammates at practice still pushing through everything and still trying their hardest gave me motivation to push through as well.”

Jason Phan will continue to pursue the aspects of his football journey that bring him pure joy and fulfillment.