Recently, Mayfair’s girls basketball team has gone undefeated in all of their games, a great achievement for both the team and our school. I sat down with captain Mayumi Advincula to talk about all things basketball!
Starting off, I asked Mayumi what started her journey in basketball and how she's stuck with it for so long. She explains, “When I was little, a lot of my friends joined this park recreation… we got into basketball” she realized she was “good at and found a lot of interest in it and kept doing it till [she] got to high school.” Mayumi has been on Mayfair’s basketball team since freshman year, starting online because of the pandemic.
Because she is one of three captains on the team, I asked her about how she got to be captain and if it was always her goal. She admits it wasn’t something she was aiming for and didn't think she was at the “level of captain” but goes on to explain that “it kind of surprised me because there were people older than me or that had more experience…once it happened I just tried to keep that standard and held on to it for the next couple of years.”
On the topic of being captain, especially since she’s been one for so long, I wanted to know the ups and downs of being captain. She says the hardest thing about being captain is “being a vocal leader is one of the hardest parts” because she tends to be “a more shy, quiet, like reserved person” and with a preference for leading by example, having to “use my voice and teach something” is something she struggles with. On the other hand, one of her favorite parts of carrying the captain responsibilities is “being able to set an example, especially for the younger players.” She likes having an influence on how the team works and “allows me to help initiate that bond between players.”
Because she is a senior, her time on the team is coming to an end and so moving forward, I wanted to know her thoughts on where she wants this team to end up as she is preparing to leave it. She explains “now [the team] is on a trend upwards and when things become more consistent with the players we have on the team and our coaches and promote ourselves on social media [the team will get better].”
Overall getting the opportunity to talk to Mayumi about her team was a great experience! I learned a lot from an insider's perspective and it is very easy to tell how passionate she is about this sport and her team!