Love From the Sidelines

This love week, it’s worth celebrating the couples who show that sometimes the best relationships start with a common goal and a whole lot of heart.

By: Ariana Lopez Salguero and Adriana Soria Rosales

When people talk about romance, they might picture flowers, long texts, and late-night calls. But for athletes, love often looks a little different, from early practices, shared victories, tough losses, and cheering from the sidelines.

Soccer player Emmah Garcia, ’26, shares when she first met football player Jimmie Burk, ’26, “we’ve known each known each other since, like, freshman year, but we kind of started talking during powder puff last year.”

Before games or matches Garcia says, “he’ll usually send me a text saying good luck, and then I do the same for him.”

Burk shares that before big games, “we’ll usually go have lunch and talk, and just keep their mind off the big game and just make sure they’re ready before.”

The two share the pros of dating someone who understands the athlete lifestyle, which is that “just knowing that, if I have practice or something, and I can’t hang out or anything, we both understand that, and we’re busy and can’t see each other all the time.”

“She understands that I have training and a whole bunch of other stuff, and she understands because she’s the exact same way.”

Between the two and their competitiveness, Garcia says, “I feel like it’s very equal.
We’re both very competitive.”

One word to describe Garcia’s and Burks’ relationship, she says, is ‘trustworthy,’ and for him, ‘phenomenal.’

If their relationship were a sport, Burk says it would be, “Something that’s very entertaining and just very fun.”

Athlete couples understand each other in ways others might not. They know what it means to miss plans for practice, to play through exhaustion, and to feel the heartbreak of a close loss. When one person is struggling, the other knows what to say because they’ve been there too.

Swimmer and Waterpolo Player Michelle Palma, ’27, says, “Me and Hunter met in our seventh-grade English class and through cross country.”

Soccer player Hunter Vargas, ’27, also remembers the exact class it was, sharing, “We first met in 7th grade when we were in Mrs. Malmsten’s English class, and then we became really good friends, then a year after we started dating.”

Before big games, Palma and Vargas share how they support each other, “We always wish each other luck and let the other person know that, regardless of how it goes, that we can have a comeback next game.”

Dating someone with the same goals is helpful. Palma says, the pros of dating someone who understands the athlete lifestyle are, “helpful with both our busy schedules. Like, there’s never a problem with one of us being gone at sports, and I actually really enjoy it because we’re always able to come support one another, and even though we don’t really understand each other’s sports. It’s still fun being able to support them.”

Between Palma and Vargas, she says in terms of competitiveness, it’s “100% Hunter. I’ve been kicked off plenty of pickleball courts because I’m not good enough to be on his team.”

Vargas says, “Definitely me. She doesn’t like to really play games with me because if she’s not up to my standard, I kind of get a little mad.”

One word Palma said that would best describe her relationship would be, “compatible.
I don’t know. I feel like we just get along very well.” Along with that, Vargas said, “Committed, we’re already 3 years in, and we’ve just been getting stronger.”

If their relationship were a sport, Palma says it would be, “synchronized swimming, because we’re always on the same page about our relationship and work together well.”

For Vargas, their relationship is similar to soccer: “In the game of soccer, you can’t rush things, and you have to be patient.”

Balancing love, school, and athletics takes communication and maturity. But many couples say their shared passion actually makes them stronger, pushing each other to improve not only in their sports but outside of them.

Soccer player Kwyn Bruce, ’26, says her relationship with baseball player Miguel Ceballos, ’27, all started at a Halloween party.

Burce says that before important games or any games in general, “he always texts me good luck and stuff, and tells me that I’m gonna do good.”

Ceballos says, “I text her good luck. I tell her to stay out of her head and just focus on the moment, and don’t try to think ahead of the game.”

For Ceballos, it comes easy to explain why he can’t hang out all the time, “She knows I’m gonna be busy, she knows I have practice every day of the week”.

To Bruce, dating someone who is just as athletic as her is a benefit, saying, “he understands that I’m gonna be busy a lot, but we still find time to hang out with each other. So it works.”

She says that one word that would describe her relationship would be “communicative.”

Basketball player Veronica Flores, ’27, and football player Ollie Richardson, ’27, share when they first met, “we first met in middle school, but then we started talking during our junior summer.”

Before big games, Flores says, “I feel like we just motivate each other by telling each other that we just need to do good and stay out of our heads. Like basically giving motivational speeches to each other.”

For Flores, understanding is a big part, having a partner who knows the ups and downs in sports, she says, “I feel like they understand the stress under sports and the wanting to get better and do good in sports.”

Richardson shares his view on being in a relationship with an athlete, “It’s easier because you guys can both focus on each other while doing your sports without having one or the other stressing about it.”

Flores says that between the two of them, there is no doubt that Richardson is more competitive, she says “he’s definitely, definitely more competitive. He’s always trying to win and do too much.”

While Flores claimed Richardson is more competitive, Richardson responded with, “Veronica. She just gets mad every time she loses.”

If Flores had to choose one word to describe her relationship, she said, “Funny. Honestly, we’re so funny.”

If their relationship were a sport, Richardson said, “Maybe football, cause you have to be strong and determined.”

Dancer Jocelyn Gormley, ’26, describes her and wrestler Enrique Segura, ’26, saying, “We met in like 8th grade, but we started talking at the Tulare County fair.”

Segura and Gormley go way back. Segura says, “We’ve known each other since like fifth grade when I first moved here, and then we had, like, the same 8th grade class, and then we were just friends from there, and then freshman year we got really close.”

For Segura, he said their support shows a little differently, “She tells me to just have fun and stuff. I tell her to lock in, but overall just trying to kind of keep us calm, like go out there and have fun.”

For Gormley, the pros of dating someone who understands the athlete lifestyle are that “he’s always very supportive and encouraging.”

There are many pros of dating an athlete, and Segura shares, “She understands how it is to go out and perform, so when it’s the same for me, if I don’t do my best, then she understands that, but then if I do good, she’s there and proud. She knows both worlds.”

If their relationship were a sport, Segura says, “It would probably be an easy sport, something really simple. We keep it simple, a sufficient, good sport.”

For Gormley, one word to describe her relationship would be “Understanding.”

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