While some athletes can get caught up in the competition of becoming a professional at their sport, for others, the deeper motivation for continuing to play is the positive experiences they’ve had playing with family growing up.

Sophomore broadcast journalism major Emily Cho said that she started playing golf at 12 years old. Before she started, she said that her dad taught the game to her older sister, taking up a more assertive role to get Cho’s sister to commit to the sport.

But Cho’s dad realized that this approach drove Cho’s older sister away from the sport, so when Cho began playing he took a different approach.

“My dad saw me getting into (golf), and so I think he took this opportunity to not push me as hard with it,” Cho said. “He was always supportive; he was always there. So if I wanted to go, if I asked him, ‘Let’s go to the golf course’ (and) then he would go. He would be with me.”

Cho said that all her family members found themselves getting involved with the sport. Her dad would record her swing and purchase equipment, her mom would drive her to practices and competitions and her older sister would make time to play golf with her.

Junior business administration major Danny Marsh played baseball until eighth grade and considered himself a great pitcher in the sport. But he said he experienced burnout and wanted to switch over to a sport that would make him happier and that he could enjoy for the rest of his life.

Marsh’s family grew up around sports, with his mom and grandpa playing tennis and his dad playing baseball. Marsh told The Panther about his dad’s impact on his baseball career and how it connected with the change he wanted to make athletics wise.

“Even though he was my baseball coach, he’s always been my influence with sports,” Marsh said. “He said it would be a good idea if (I) played tennis as well.”

Marsh also pointed to his experiences growing up and going to a park Sunday mornings to  learn how to play tennis from his grandpa.

“My grandpa is (from) a different age (and) generation from me, so we don’t have that much in common,” Marsh said. “Even though it wasn’t super serious, I just picked up a racket and (learned) how to play (with him). Just hitting with him was a really cool experience because you were able to just bond and have fun with the same activity.”

Similarly, Cho said that growing up her family would play in scramble style golf tournaments together. It had been 10 years since they played, but last Thanksgiving her family brought back this tradition.

This time around, Cho said that her family noticed the significant growth in her game.

“We all formed teams in the tournament, and we were trying to balance (teams) out,” Cho said. “I thought I wasn’t playing that great, but at the end (it) turns out my team won by one stroke. It felt really good because last time they saw me I was really bad at golf, but now they’re like, ‘Oh Emily’s playing at college, so she’s really good now.’”

Marsh said that while he is able to manage the physical aspects of tennis, he sees his family as a source of emotional support. Marsh is from Tustin, so his parents and other family members are able to come out and support him at competitions.

“Even if my dad doesn’t know what he’s talking about, he can say whatever (and) I can believe him because I trust my dad,” Marsh said. “Having other sets of eyes there and people telling you what to do just really keeps me calm. The extra guidance is what you need sometimes in those tough matches that go to tiebreakers, the tough three-hour matches where everyone’s just grinding in 100 degree weather.”

For Cho, she said that she shares similar characteristics with her dad in their realistic approach to the game, but also stubbornness and impatience when practices and competitions get rough. But Cho said that seeing the way her older sister approaches the game shifts her perspective.

“My sister used to be the same way, but it was because my dad pushed her so much,” Cho said. “But when my sister started playing for fun, just seeing how my sister (plays golf) — she hits a bad shot and she laughs about it. I started doing the same thing too and it just made the game a lot more enjoyable.”

And the enjoyment for the sport translates to the positive experiences she’s had with golf and family.

“It’s nice having (a) whole family that golfs because they’re able to understand how I’m feeling during my tournaments, they are able to understand how I feel when I’m playing, but then it’s also a fun activity that we can all bond over,” Cho said.

Marsh said that with all the games his family saw, it created more quality conversations and relationships he has with family.

“There’s been so many shared experiences,” Marsh said. “They see me play so many different people from so many different places. There’s definitely more to talk about.”