I had the opportunity to sit down with Olu Senior Makenna Borba to talk about how she finds sports has contributed to her everyday life and habits. Makenna has grown up playing sports all her life, first starting off her athletic career in gymnastics and currently competing in pole vault for Olu.
When asked, Makenna explained that some of the habits she finds herself doing is ensuring she’s always on a schedule and has everything planned out before doing it. She picked up this habit throughout her gymnastics career, as there was always an “assignment” for her to train off of. Another habit she mentioned was the need to be productive. Even on her days off, she keeps herself busy throughout the day, whether it is working out, cleaning, or even just staying home and doing homework.
Furthermore, when speaking about how Makenna deals with specific challenges from others and demanding situations, she explained that it drives her to do better. Makenna spoke on how when anyone wants to say, “I don’t think you can do it,” her automatic response is to prove them wrong. Also, when asked how she faces difficult situations, she said, “I can’t stop until I know the solution to whatever problem is going on,” which she utilizes a lot in school.
Additionally, Makenna finds herself very competitive both in and outside of training. She finds that her competitiveness stems from sports, but she wants to win even when playing board games or doing class activities. The reason for such great success in her sports career is undoubtedly because of her ability to handle pressure. But when asked how she applies this to her everyday life, she explained that she’s more confident in her results even during school, taking tests and quizzes. Both sports have taught her to truly let everything go and give it her all under pressure.
When asked whether she likes individual or team collaborations, she talked about how when she’s in sports, she likes to have others around to push her performance and improve her work overall. However, she also spoke about how sometimes she works best individually to stay focused and not be distracted by her work. Revealing how sports have taught her to recognize what works best for her.
Finally, Makenna explained that if sports has taught her one thing, it is always to take care of one’s mental health. Makenna has learned the best way to do this is by letting herself rest and taking days to herself, often going to the trainers and having a relaxing day with nothing to stress about. She even talks to others about how she’s feeling rather than continuing to push through her workload so that she can take time and process.