Cherilyn Legaspi is a senior at Clark Magnet High School, and she was born in Los Angeles, California. She isn’t officially a Nitro, but she has participated in GHS sports since her freshman year.
Cherilyn’s favorite hobby is playing sports, such as running, volleyball, basketball, and softball. She also enjoys watching Netflix shows, spending time with friends and family, taking photographs, and “traveling and shopping!” She is the co-captain of the girls basketball team here at GHS, along with Sarine Kaloghlian.
Cherilyn is one of the youngest people in her senior class, because she was born at the end of 2004. She is also excited to share that this “is my first time being in a public school setting,” because regularly she used to attend Holy Trinity.
Cherilyn enjoys eating Japanese food and Italian food, mostly ramen and pasta. Her friends here from GHS convinced her to be part of the girls basketball team when they first met at a Park League in Eagle Rock, despite the fact that she is “5 feet and 2 inches tall.”
Cherilyn has been playing basketball since the 5th grade and learned the game on the co-ed team. “In high school, I wanted to see if I could join and have fun,” she said.
Cherilyn is interested in basketball, due to the adrenaline rush she feels when playing. “From dribbling and shooting the ball, my skills are put to the test,” she said. She also has fun because it is a team sport, so it helps her to build strong connections and relationships with her teammates.
Cherilyn has earned student athletes awards for maintaining her grades while she participates in sports. During her junior year, she and her teammates made it to the second round of the CIF Playoffs. “My favorite accomplishment was breaking the school record for most threes scored in a game!” she said, enthusiastically. Cherilyn explained that she became team captain by putting extra work into her games. “I utilized my skills that I learned from my games and started to become a floor leader, and scoring more,” she said. She is very grateful that her coach chose her as one of the team captains.
Cherilyn shared that during her team practices, they usually start at 3pm after everyone’s classes are over. They start off their warm ups by running and stretching. They next move on to doing drills, such as elbow shots, dribbling drills, and running back and forth. But their coach always has different drills and plans for them each day, “so that we can do better.”
During their team matches and games, they set up at the gym and try building up positive energy. “We warm up and represent GHS as we get called up by the announcer,” she claimed.
Throughout their games, Cherilyn proudly stated that her coaches always remind her, and her teammates, to play harder. Setting up on defense and running different sets for offense, “we take it play by play.”
Cherilyn also shared that it is an honor and a privilege for her to play as a Nitro athlete. She loves meeting wonderful people, including her coaching staff and her teammates. “The school’s basketball program has definitely shaped me to who I am today,” she said, “and I am very grateful to play here.”
Besides competing on the basketball court, she and her teammates really have a special bond. Her coach, Mr. Mardirosian, has come up with a slogan this year called “Together”. They even have that word printed on the backs of their team warm up shirts.
Cherilyn explained that Coach Mardirosian chose “Together” due to the special bond they created and how united they are, both on and off the court. The way they show their strong, special bond is by watching other Nitro teams compete, going out to dinners, and celebrating events together.
Some of the challenges that Cherilyn and her teammates have faced include losing to other high school teams, like South Pasadena and La Serna, because “no one likes to lose.” This has caused many ups and downs for her team, but she says that it makes them all stronger during their practices.
Cherilyn says that her favorite part about being in the girls basketball team is that she truly gets along with her teammates, and they have a special place in her heart. She is happy to play alongside them, “and [they] also allow me to have a laugh when I need it.”
The most difficult part about being a member of this team “is carrying the leadership role as a senior.” Cherilyn feels that those high responsibilities and standards are not only for her, but for everyone else. She makes sure to remind herself that being a senior and a team captain at the same time isn’t an easy task, but she also wouldn’t trade these experiences for anything else.
Cherilyn hopes that her experiences can benefit and motivate other students to be the best they can be and lead others when possible. She believes that her teammates are very welcoming, and their coaching staff is very supportive.
For Cherilyn, the future is very bright. “Although I am a senior, I will be back to watch my fellow sophomores and juniors compete next year!” she claims. In the future, she sees herself playing basketball for community college and one day becoming a nurse practitioner.
If you are interested in joining our girls basketball team, contact Coach Mardirosian at [email protected] . You can also follow them on Instagram: @ghs_girlsbasketball and @glendale.girlsbasketball.
