David Lin; tri-sport captain
Lin talks unity and managing stress
June 8, 2022
In sports, there is often a role for everyone. There are defined positions like a point guard or a center in basketball, but there are also undefined, yet crucial roles that team members play. David Lin, senior class officer, and captain of boys’ golf, basketball and tennis, plays the role of motivating his teammates by maintaining a good mindset.
He is busy year round, captaining a team in each school sports season (fall, winter, and spring). “At times it gets really busy,” Lin said. On top of his commitments in sports, Lin takes a rigorous course load. “Sometimes I get back at like 9 p.m. from a basketball game or a golf match several hours away and I just don’t want to do anything before I go to bed, but I think it’s better senior year. If I really needed to make time for something I could find the time for it. It never really got overly overwhelming” he said.
Lin will be attending University of California Berkeley in the fall and majoring in biology in preparation to go to medical school. “I never committed to one sport, like taking it all the way, or going to college for that sport,” he said. Considering his admission to Berkeley, Lin said “I don’t know how much it helped in that sense, but I know that it does give the person reading your application good insight into your ability to create community and encourage people as those are the main roles as a captain.”
“I’m not the best player on any of those teams, [but being a captain] showed that I could be a good teammate,” he said. “You’re never not good enough to be a part of the team,” Lin continued. He makes an effort to lead each team to victory the best he can, but really excels by bringing positive energy to each group. “I felt like this was a place where I could encourage people and uplift my teammates,” he said.
Even though Lin won’t be playing sports in college, he has gained wisdom that can serve him outside of sports. “There are a lot of wins and losses in sports, and it’s very tangible as there are also wins and losses in life. You can feel the frustration when you lose and you can feel the joy when you win, and being the same leader and ‘encourager’ when you win as when you lose, being able to stay consistent and stay positive, that’s something that has come out of being a captain,” he said.
Aside from the actual work put in, Lin said, “I think mainly it gave me a really good sense of community at Shorewood. I was able to interact with so many different types of people in so many different environments.”
In the sports community, opportunities for connection often present themselves. “I’ve played a golf match with the same person four times randomly, and I got to know them, walking for four hours with a person you get to know them, even in addition to your teammates, which is really cool. You’re able to randomly make friendships with people from other schools, other places,” he said.
If you’re looking to find a community at Shorewood, or just to do something different, even start a sport as a beginner, Lin says it’s not too late. He said, “I started golf in its entirety freshman year. I didn’t even play before that, but being around other people that love the sport pushed me to do better and grow really connected to it, and led me to being a captain too, so I think it’s a lot of just putting yourself out there.”
