Credits:
Writer: Dustin Wang
Photography: Mathew Xochitecatl
"A Captain Who Loves to Win … and A Nurse?"
A Community in Sports
During Tiffany’s freshman year at Bayside, New York City schools were shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic and students were taking classes remotely, unable to truly connect with their peers. In her sophomore year, schools finally reopened and students were able to walk through Bayside’s halls for the first time. At first, like most others, Tiffany felt lost and disconnected; she did not know anyone at the school because of the pandemic. However, once she joined soccer, Tiffany was able to build a community and develop friendships that would help her overcome the separation she had experienced in her freshman year. She recounts, “Sports just helped me know people when I came around the halls the first day, and they brought me around… without that I would be lost.”
A Captain’s Role
The sports community at Bayside has clearly had a large impact on Tiffany. In fact, Tiffany plays a large role in shaping her teams’ morale, focus, and overall success through her contagious energy and continuous enthusiasm. As captain, one of the concepts that Tiffany advocates for is teamwork. Believing teamwork to be the most important factor in any team, Tiffany tries to include all her players and aid them in reaching their full potential. She believes that to be a good captain, one must avoid being selfish and instead, demonstrate commitment and maintain a supportive environment.
A Drive to Win
To be captain of three sports teams and play all year long is not an easy task, yet Tiffany is able to do so with ease. She is a highly motivated individual who seriously loves to win. Not only is she driven by success, but Tiffany is also extremely competitive: she loves the feeling of winning and enjoys the chase for more, allowing her to push her teams to new heights. In her first two years of playing basketball at Bayside, the team did not make it to playoffs and had an unsuccessful season with numerous defeats. However, this year, “We made a huge jump from being at the complete bottom to doing very good for ourselves;” the girls’ basketball team was able to rise above their competition to become division champions, with Tiffany as their captain.Filled with an ambitious fire, Tiffany hopes that this year, she can take her flag football team to the playoffs. With the new talent on the roster, Tiffany is excited for this season and wishes to take the team far. She states,”I think we can become division champs and we can go far in the playoffs if we keep going at the rate we are right now. We are doing amazing.”
A Career in Nursing
Aside from sports, Tiffany is planning on pursuing a career in nursing. She expresses, “I’ve always enjoyed helping others. I’ve always been surrounded by people who care for each other and I have always been that type of person who’s always caring for others.”Clearly, Tiffany has a passion for providing support not just for her teammates, but for people in general and her time spent at Bayside High School has given her valuable experience that may prove useful in her future career. She will use her expertise in teamwork and working with a variety of people in her future as a nurse. She believes that the collaboration needed in sports will most definitely be required in her desired career: “In nursing, you have to work with a group of people to heal people and make sure [they’re] okay. And I have to work with doctors and I feel like that will just be a good asset… I’ve always been working with others due to sports.”
Tiffany O’Reilly is the captain of the girls’ soccer, basketball, and flag football teams, and it is clear that she is an integral part of Bayside’s sports community. When asked what she enjoys about our school, she comments, “I think being part of the school and being in a school, you have to be part of things… like part of a team or part of a club. It’s just where you meet people ... I know a lot of people at this school just because I am part of soccer. Without that, I feel like you wouldn’t even know me.”