Inside The Mind: The Motive Behind The Game

Photo Credit: zacsampsmedia_ on Instagram

By: Ethan Logan

When you ask an athlete why they do their sport, the answers you may receive vary so dramatically that you could hear so many different answers, it feels inconceivable. 

When you ask coaches about motives, they will often say, “Your motive for anything is your motive for everything.” But how do these athletes react under constant pressure and struggle? What truly keeps them going? Is it what they say or what they do? 

It’s early Saturday morning, the air is cold, and the sun is just barely peeking over the trees. All is calm elsewhere except for one place. Edmond Santa Fe High School. 

Screams and cheers mixed with cowbells fill the air. The race was coming to a close, and everybody lined up against the fence by the finish line. The state championship is on the line. In a pool of pain-filled faces and frantic swinging of the arms, one stuck out. Jenks’ very own, Senior Santiago Pereira. His hands held high in the shape of a heart. A perfectly poetic way to cap off a long and successful career.

When Pereira was young, just north of ten years ago, he had a friend, neighbor, and leader pull him into competitive running–the late Ms. Kathryn. She told him about a coach in her life who has become a familiar face in the community of Jenks. Jenks America’s Coach Barber. 

Jenks America is a club track and field, as well as a cross country program, that is hosted at the high school track. It’s produced national champions and multiple Division I athletes. The list doesn’t stop there; state champions, school and state record holders participated in Barber’s work. Barber himself has quite the resume, being a collegiate runner and long-time coach. 

Jenks America was just the start for Pereira, with him later joining the Jenks track and cross country program. Pereira hit the ground running, literally. In his freshman year, he broke multiple records and competed at state at just 15 years old. But it all came crashing his sophomore year.

That year held Pereira’s lowest moment like a slap in the face. Injuries plagued his seasons and kept him from doing what he loved so deeply. It not only broke his heart but also his spirits a little. He carried high hopes into his junior year, especially with a more decorated distance coach and a new year. It once again blew up, injuries and the flu just a few days before the state championship ruined his chances again. 

Track was no different, missing out on state and losing to a freshman in the event he once broke records in. All hope seemed lost, but he kept his spirits high until senior year. Where, in the fall, it failed again, his work didn’t feel like it paid off.

Until the morning of the state championship, Pereira fought with all that he had. Running a season best and the second fastest time of his career, and being four places off all-state. Through it all, he was asked why?

“The people,” said Pereira. He spoke of the hatred he had for the sport, but every day without fail, he got up to do it once again. He felt the only reason was the people, his people. The family-like bond he found in the sport. The group's struggle and suffering bonded him to his teammates.

He mentioned his struggles changed the way he viewed the sport. It was no longer for self-victory and success, and to seem better for himself. He described his mentality as this:

“Running for a team, running for a family, running to glorify God.”

Photo Credit: Pam Smith
Santi Pereira running the 3200 Meter run at the University of Missouri.

This sums up who he is as a person. Faith and family are common themes amongst the team as a whole. 

Pereira’s track season still awaits, but he has come to terms with the reality of running as a hobby, not as a career. He has found his purpose elsewhere. Pereira is grateful that he met his best friends and amazing role models. These people helped him to realize it isn’t all running, but the moments that make it all worthwhile, the moments in between. The moments where you can’t help but express your love through throwing up a heart while full sprinting, the moments of tears, and the moments of inexpressible gratitude. 

Gratitude was the main goal of the cross-country season. It is truly amazing to see the impact and real-time action. It is hard not to believe Pereira is not grateful for it, even though it didn’t go his way. He has found himself through this sport, and just like the rest, has absolutely and positively no regret. 

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November 6th, 2025, doesn’t seem like any significant day, but to Senior Cooper Peters, it was the day of a breakthrough and an emotional game. November 6th marks Jenks football’s Senior Night. A moment that wraps up every senior's football career, the last guaranteed game. Peters is fairly new to football, but on that night, he got his first varsity catch and first down. The emotion was overwhelming, and the support was amazing. But Peters’ story and drive run far deeper than success. 

The Peters’ household had some musts: Nebraska football, baseball, and family. Peters’ first love wasn’t football; instead, it was baseball. Peters hoped to follow in his father’s footsteps and play baseball. At a very young age, he was put into T-ball to take his first steps in this journey. As Peters started to grow up, baseball was the next step, and then came tryouts in his freshman year. 

Cooper didn’t make the team.

When asked about his lowest moment, Cooper mentioned not making the high school baseball team. This loss was eating at him, which became apparent to those around him. But, if we fast forward just a few months to the Nebraska spring game, Peters felt one last tug on his heart to follow something–the game of football.

Peters had a rough time starting; the pressure ate him alive, and he felt as though he was always underprepared. It got slightly better in his junior year, but it was still a great struggle. It wasn’t until he put in the time and effort not only on the field but in the weight room, the playbook, and in film that it started to come to him. 

It wasn’t always easy staying motivated, but Peters’ mother would remind him of one simple thing: “Remember the kids who can’t play football, the ones whose bodies won’t let them.” 

Peters also reminded himself of some facts. His parents get up early at 5 am to take him to summer workouts. His family always backed him and loved him through it all. They paid the cost, whether it was a money-based need or not. So he kept getting to work.

As his senior year progressed, he said his nerves were just cooling more and more. He had put in the time, and the coaches noticed, too. Cooper slowly started getting his first varsity minutes, the ones he had been working for since he was just a freshman in high school. 

Finally, his catch happened, and all felt worth it. Peters had a fairly short football career compared to some, but even in that short time, one thing was stressed very often: community. 

“It's been truly a blessing,” said Peters when asked about his experience. Reflecting on the failures and the successes, Peters has no regrets at all. 

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When the game is on the line, the pressure really starts to boil in the minds of those competing. The possibility of this being the last serve of the game, the last serve of the season, or even the last serve of her career. All eyes focused, and all hopes riding on one play. Addy Pritchett, a senior varsity volleyball player at Jenks, is no rookie to high pressure. She has prepared for this her whole career.

Pritchett started her volleyball career back when she was just 10 years old. Before that, she was a gymnast and played soccer. Sports were a way of life for Pritchett her whole life.

She eventually realized that gymnastics was too much; she wanted the pride of playing for her school. She wanted to play for something that meant something to her and her community. She dove fully into volleyball and even started playing against girls who were older than her. A grit she had from her spirit and her past in gymnastics, she simply fell in love with the game of volleyball, too.

“It helps my competitive spirit,” said Pritchett. She felt there was something volleyball had to offer that gymnastics just couldn’t give her. She also fell in love with the coaches. Pritchett constantly praised her coaches, but one rose above the others: Coach Mia Burge. 

Burge, who is now the assistant high school coach, also played at Jenks. She was a part of the 2015 conference championship team. Burge helped Pritchett see all aspects of the game, giving her a love for the game like no other. 

“My love for the sport never felt like a chore,” said Pritchett when asked about her motive. 

Just sitting down and having a conversation with Pritchett, her drive to compete is apparent. She mentioned how even when it wasn’t the easiest, her desire for the sport was the reason. Early morning workouts or lifts, tournaments early after track meets, and anything else the world threw her way, Pritchett never wavered from her sport. 

Her motivation and desire to play were true to her core. She even mentioned she didn’t know anything other than volleyball and the busyness of the schedule. She really gives her parents the glory when it comes to managing and transporting with all that stress.

Through it all, Pritchett didn’t budge under pressure or stress. 

“Excellence isn’t expected at Jenks; it is demanded,” said Pritchett. She said the training prepared her for excellence and made her ready for the pressure demanded. So for that final serve of her career in the state semi-final just this past month, she was ready.

Photo Credit: Trojan TV

Pritchett preparing to serve in the game. 

A long career stretching 8 years–what a grind, what a place to spend your time, what a way for it to end. Pritchett had some time to reflect on her sport and her life within the sport.

Through every loss and victory, every success and failure, Pritchett has a very strong attachment to her sport.

“I would not be the person I am today,” said Pritchett. Volleyball helped her to become who she is and taught her the importance of many life lessons. She even said at times it felt like her “everything.”

Sports have always been more than a game for Pritchett. This game, in many years, will just be a stepping stone in a long life and journey to whatever the future holds. But no matter where the future goes, she can walk away having zero regrets.

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When asked about someone's biggest fear, they often say the fear of being left out. In the fall and summer of 2024, this nightmare took shape in junior, Tyler Cook. 

Standing on the side of practice, meets, and fun because of double pneumonia, he watched everyone else succeed and crush their goals, while he couldn’t even make it to the bathroom by himself at times.

Cook’s story starts a lot like his teammate and friend Pereira’s. He started getting into running when Coach Barber introduced him to the sport at a competitive level. Cook was a bit older, and he joined because of a friend as well.

Cook started his running career about 6 years ago. He has fallen in love with not only the sport but also who and what surrounds him in his sport. The competitiveness, the community, and the love for God. He talked a lot about his sickness and setbacks and how he had to learn he was more than just a runner. He had to learn that he was a person, a brother, a friend, a son, a leader, and a student.

Cook held on to the little hope he had, the belief that “it will all work out.” Cook also mentioned a very pivotal person in his life who really helped in that situation.

“My mom,” said Cook. The bond between him and his mom is very apparent as he praises her help when he is sick or even just tired.

Cook even mentioned times with teammates that kept him pushing when it hurt. Sometimes it’s the positivity that they bring, sometimes it’s the way they make him push harder than he ever has, and sometimes it's just small, silly things. 

“Let's grip it and rip it,” said Cook when talking about one of his senior teammates. It was the mentality that he and Cook carried into their difficult workouts or races. 

Photo Credit: mjmedia
Tyler Cook at 2025 XC media day.

Just the idea of everything you have for as long as you have it. Cook mentions part of his tough mentality, and why this line is fitting, too.

“I enjoy the eternal battle,” said Cook. He loves to compete, and this is the best mentality to have in a sport as grueling as running. Because the fight never truly ends. Cook has track in the spring and then competes his senior year. He stays hungry and will fill the shoes of those who came before him. Cook still has a long ride in front of him, but he could not be more motivated to make something out of it.  

Just like all the others, he carries not a single regret. 

Not many ideas in athletics are the same, but there is some continuity. Just as I have, these athletes have faced disappointment, failure, injury, illness, lies, and the stress of countless other facets of life. One thing remains true: the community keeps them coming back. There is love for the sport or the competition, but everyone is really here for the community that the sport provides. 

With all of that in mind, it is important not to lose sight of the purpose of varsity or high-level athletics: to achieve, stay active, and have fun. That sight is often lost in the generation of instant gratification and high competitiveness. It often feels like a record is broken every day, and athletes are built differently than they used to be. 

When looking at these four, they all have something in common. Their college experience isn’t dependent on their sport, nor is the rest of their life, but that doesn’t mean there was no purpose behind what they have done. The purpose just isn’t always seen like broken records are. It isn’t always seen like a big play or a state ring is. It isn’t engraved into a trophy or wall. It is engraved into the people around them.

Sports give a one-of-a-kind community and surround you with the brothers and sisters you fight with every day for a common goal. You fight, lose, and win as one. You build a bond that doesn’t break very easily. So when asked about motives, it is no wonder all of them say “community.”

Without one, we wouldn’t love what we do; it wouldn’t be sports. Wins and records are temporary, the bonds follow us our whole lives. Our weddings, our families, our homes, our colleges, our jobs, and our funerals at times. All from a game we desired to play when we were young. 

It is easy to forget about the deeper details of sports, but it is important to remember them because they are far bigger and more important than we give them credit for.