It’s the beginning of August and you’re an incoming freshman at Dougherty Valley High School. The feelings of fear and angst overwhelm you whilst integrated into a new environment. Throughout the year, you try out for three sports, and make varsity for every single one. You have officially become a varsity tri-athlete. This is the exact path that freshman Mikey Wong followed, and having almost completed his first year of high school, he has been on a total of three varsity teams. A starting quarterback on the varsity football team, the singular freshman on the varsity basketball team and a starter on the varsity baseball team.
For Wong, his love for each sport didn’t start out with a motivational beginning. Signs of athleticism had been running through his family for years prior, demonstrated by both of his brothers, who played football, basketball and baseball at Dougherty Valley as well. So when Wong was motivated by his father to join each sport at a young age, he could’ve never predicted the legacy he would end up having to live up to.
Mikey Wong’s father, Phil Wong, had good intentions behind introducing Mikey to all three sports.
“For all our boys, Shirley [his wife] and I have always believed that sports help build a strong foundation for becoming well-rounded young men,” Phil Wong commented. “Beyond staying active, sports gives kids the opportunity to build friendships, learn the value of teamwork and develop confidence which are all lessons that extend far beyond the field or court.”
Mikey Wong began playing baseball when he was around five years old, encouraged by his dad, but also inspired by his older brothers. Growing up, he was able to look up to his older brothers, who all played baseball, which sparked his own interest in playing baseball after them. Although at the start of his journey he recalled being forced into baseball, he ended up with a genuine love and admiration for the sport.
“The culture is fun, it’s just a fun sport to play and I really enjoy it,” Mikey Wong commented.
Being Mikey Wong’s coach and father, Phil Wong described what his experience was like in that position, as he was able to act as his father, his fan and his coach all in one.
“Coaching is an extension of being a parent. It’s about helping him grow,” Phil Wong said. “Going through that process together has strengthened our relationship and built a strong foundation of trust and communication.”
Mikey Wong’s introduction to basketball was also around the same time, at five years old, where he was pushed to join by his dad. With both of his brothers playing high school basketball, it inspired him to begin playing more and more. Through basketball, he was able to make lifelong friendships that he still has to this day.
“Everyone plays it. I have a lot of friends that play it, and I met a lot of them from that,” he acknowledged.
When Mikey Wong reached high school, he could’ve never expected to make the varsity team at Dougherty his first year. He recalled being pleasantly surprised to achieve this opportunity.
“For basketball, I was very surprised [to make it on the team] because I didn’t think that I would have made varsity in my first year,” he said. “I enjoyed playing on the team because I got to play against better people. That helped me grow and improve.”
Being the only freshman on varsity proved to have high stakes, and Mikey Wong had to work ten times harder to prove that he was an essential component on the varsity team.
“Just showing out [for the team] was important,” Mikey Wong commented. “Since they pulled me up, I had to show them what I could do and how I could stay on the team.”
For his last sport, football, he remembered having a later start into the sport than baseball and basketball. Encouraged into the sport at 12 years old by his father, he began playing with a recreational team, the Cal Bears, as his first team. Leading up to high school, he became the starting quarterback on varsity, an important role to fill as a freshman. For football, Mikey Wong takes a different approach, mostly doing it for fun without as much commitment and seriousness as with baseball and basketball. Due to his position of being the quarterback, there were notable advantages of being on the team.
“My favorite thing about football is that I don’t have to do as much in practice,” he said. “I just have to throw the ball, do some conditioning and I don’t have to run as much.”
With Mikey Wong’s life being engulfed in sports, there isn’t as much time for him to focus on his academics. Usually after his high school practices, he would head straight to his club practices, leaving little to no time for his homework. Finding his balance between academics and sports is a constant struggle, which leads him to stay up late to finish work.
“I usually have no time to do homework and assignments,” Mikey Wong acknowledged. “The whole day I’m basically just doing sports, so I have to stay up until at least 12 or 1a.m. doing homework.”
Despite this, Mikey Wong maintains hopeful dreams and aspirations for his future in sports and hopes to go to college for basketball or baseball. His father had similar sentiments when looking at Mikey Wong’s achievements in his athletic journey.
“What makes me most proud is his work ethic, mindset, and ability to handle pressure,” Phil Wong said. “That drive has been there since he was young – he’s always had the attitude of wanting to do things himself. That kind of self motivation means more to me than any single achievement.”
