High School wrestler Jamie Loo is a native of Panama who came to San Francisco to compete for the Mission School District. Loo came to California knowing that he was gay, but not knowing what to do about it. He wasn't sure if he should tell someone or come out to his teammates in fear of being made fun of and cast aside for his sexual preference. Sports teams can have such a huge impact on an athletes life because of the strong family connection between the teammates. Having a good, strong team connection can make or break your experience as an athlete. I know that for me personally, my teammates have always been the best aspect of my sports experience and one of the main reasons as to why I love it so much. It is hard enough to fit in as a "normal' person, but to be different and have a different sexual orientation than all your other teammates could make it a lot harder to fit in and be accepted.
In the article about Jamie Loo, it talks about how most kids stories go untold or are very short when they are homosexual. Jamie was scared that he would be hated for who he was and he would lose everyone that was close to him. Jamie talked about being afraid to fit into the stereotype so he played along with his friends, pretending he was straight. This is where the problem really lies. So many times, society makes up these stereotypes about certain kinds of people and because of those negative connotations, people try their best to stay away from them. Even if they aren't true. It's horrible when people don't think that they can be themselves because they are too afraid of how they will be treated because of it. That's why after reading Jamie's story, I was really impressed with how he reacted to the situation and stayed true to himself and who he was. It's stories like that that you hear that really help other people and give them hope to come out themselves and not have to put up an act. He made a commitment to himself and to others and he knew that quitting was the easy way out, so he stuck with it and ended up on top.
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