Promising duo: Twins carve their own paths

BY ISABEL VALLES

THE MIRROR ATHLETICS EDITOR

After cruising through defenders, her feet land on the shiny gym floor as she lands from making a layup, adding two points to the scoreboard.

All triathlete and alumnus Kaella Chin could hear in the roaring gym were her two siblings, Aiden and Bryce Chin, cheering for her. This tough shot won her team the game against the Sylmar Spartans on Feb. 11, 2022, guaranteeing her team’s spot to participate in the playoffs, where she would be dribbling her way through her last high school basketball game.

Kaella Chin gained recognition for her versatility and exceptional skills across a wide range of sports. She showcased her talent as a guard in basketball, a winger in soccer and participated in track events like the 100m, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay and long jump. Additionally, she dem onstrated her abilities as a libero in volleyball and contributed to the football team as a kicker, corner, safety and receiver.

Although her time as an athlete in high school came to an end at graduation, her legacy has been continued.

Her two younger twin brothers, seniors Aiden and Bryce Chin, entered the world of sports when they were around four-years-old.

Their first introduction to athleticism was through gymnastics

“Both of my parents were really athletic prior to having us, so they really wanted to make sure that we could use our athletic abilities to the fullest early on,” Bryce said.

Currently, Bryce plays on the Varsity basketball and football teams. He also does track and field running the 4x100, 4x400, 100 meter and 200 meter relay events.

He has found that his early exposure to sports not only gave him a boost physically, but mentally as ball, football and soccer teams. He also runs track and field competing in the 4x100 relay, 100-meter race, and triple jump events. achieved numerous accolades. In 2022, Aiden triumphed with gold medals in the long jump, 4x100 and 4x400 events, while also earning a silver medal in shot put. Moving forward to 2023, he secured a gold medal in the 4x100 relay, along with silver medals in both the long jump and the 4x400 event.

Although both twins enjoy playing these sports, they face the disadvantage of their shorter heights, being around 5-foot-5. To overcome this, the twins are constantly improving their speed and strength.

“We can’t really change our height, so we have been weightlifting a lot to strengthen our legs,” Bryce said.

In last year’s basketball tournament, Bryce’s team secured a second-place medal for the city. In track events, he claimed the secondplace position in the 100-meter race, earned a gold medal for his contribution to the 4x4 relay team and also the 4x1 relay team. He also achieved a thirdplace finish in the 100-meter race, secured a first-place victory in the 4x1 relay and garnered a second-place position in the 200-meter race.

TWO

PEAS IN A POD Skilled at a variety of sports, Bryce (L) and Aiden (R) Chin both play on the football and basketball teams and compete in track and field competitions.

Aiming to follow in their sister’s footsteps, who plays for the UCLA Division One Women’s Soccer team, the Chin twins hope to play basketball and participate in track and field

Girls tennis pushes ahead

BY ROGERS LEVITT THE MIRROR STAFF

Through the ups and downs of the season, the girls tennis team has persevered.

We’ve lost a few and won a few, but no matter what we have a lot of good team spirit,” Varsity player Docette Danialypour said.

The Wolves finished their season with an even 6-5 record, going 5-3 in their league. However, they had a rough start to their season, losing their first match on Aug. 24 against Providence 6-1.

“I got into my head a little too much during our first game because we were losing,” Varsity player Alyssa Paniza said.

Following a 7-0 blowout loss against Eagle Rock on Sept. 14 and a heartbreaking 4-3 loss against Kennedy shortly after, the team bounced back in a game against Reseda, winning 6-1. Later in the season, the Wolves would win another game against Reseda, this time shutting them out of their own turf.

The season has featured unexpected roadblocks. Games were canceled because of issues with fielding a full team.

The team has fewer players this season. A number of JV players were promoted to play for Varsity, cutting down on the JV team’s roster size. Because the amount of players on the roster is tight, something as miniscule as one girl being injured could lead to the team not having enough players to compete.

Some players choke because of the pressure of playing Varsity, but adapting to the higher level of competition is something these girls are determined to handle.

“I was very scared,” Paniza said. “I thought if I messed up it was gonna be horrible, and I put a lot of pressure onto myself. But now it’s not as big of a deal to me anymore. I don’t freak out as much.”

Veteran captain Loc Handke is passionate for both the game and maintaining a good team environment.

“Last year we had three captains, including myself, but going into this year I was the only captain for a pretty large girls team,” Handke said. “I felt a lot of pressure, but then I realized I had to be a good teammate. As long as my girls are having fun and playing fair, that’s all that really matters.”

Despite consisting of less experienced players, the team has performed well considering its circumstances.

“The sportsmanship and everyone being there for you and supporting you unconditionally, I think it’s really amazing as a team,” JV player Mia Kenigsberg said.

Coach Min Woo So has a soft spot for the team.

“When I wake up, all I think about is coming to morning practice,” he said. “As a coach, I want to give everything I can to them.”

Last year, the Wolves played to the tune of a 7-4 record, 7-1 in their league. The team earned the tenth seed in the playoffs, winning against their first round opponent.

They aim to make it back to the playoffs, and are determined to put girls tennis back on the map.