Marcus Tymous (12) is no stranger to competitive sports. At the age of five, he started training gymnastics. Soon after, a family friend introduced him to running track. Then, at the age of six, he tried his hand in club football.

Ever since these early introductions to competitive sports, Marcus has never let down. To this day, he competes for the Harker track, basketball, and football teams. He believes that participating in sports provides him with a greater sense of purpose.

“[Sports] keep me active and fit and takes up time,” Marcus said. “It sounds weird but sitting at home all day with nothing to do drives me crazy.”

After taking part in these various sports, Marcus thinks that the benefits of team camaraderie extend beyond athletics.

“I don’t know who I would be if I didn’t start playing sports at a young age, and I don’t think I’d be as talented as I am now,” Marcus said. “I learned many of my life ideals through sports – honor, respect, humility.”

Over the years, Marcus has steadily honed his athletic ability. As a junior, Marcus covered 353 yards in 12 games. This past season, he covered 356 yards in only 6 games, more than twice his junior year average. This much competitive experience has allowed Marcus to become accustomed with high risk, high stress situations; so much so that Marcus no longer feels very anxious before a high-stake football game or track meet. Instead, he finds himself calm, collected, and most importantly confident in his abilities.

“I used to get butterflies and get nervous, but now I can walk on the field and do what I do because it’s all natural and a part of who I am,” he said. “When I get out there, I’ll be a little nervous but not to the point of having extreme butterflies. Playing for so long made me not need to get pumped up for the sport. I can just go out there and compete.”

For Marcus, such confidence results in not only enhanced athletic performance, but also better social skills and a fearlessness of taking risks.

“I’ve learned how to not get scared, so doing an interview or talking to somebody about something serious, I’m not afraid of that, I’m not nervous, I just do what I got to do and say what I got to say,” he said. “It’s worked out so far, which is good.”

Marcus’s confidence comes after a difficult time in his life – when he transitioned to Harker from Hayward High school at the beginning of his sophomore year. His daily commute averaged more than an hour and a half. In contrast, the commute was only five minutes at his previous school.

“I used to go to a school that was not even five minutes away from my house, but now I have to wake up at 6:00 and leave at 6:20 just to get to school before 8,” Marcus said. “It’s made me a lot more tired.”

Beyond spending more time on the road, Marcus struggled adjusting to the rigor of Harker classes but he thinks the challenge ultimately changed him for the better.

“I think [the transition] made me much better at time management,” he said. “In freshman year, I didn’t know how to manage my time at all. Ever since sophomore year started, I’ve gotten insanely good at it, and thank god I did because I would not be able to survive if I didn’t.”

In the end, what hurt Marcus the most was leaving behind old friends and opportunities at his old high school.

“At Hayward High, I had all four of my high school years planned out,” Marcus said. “There were coaches waiting for me to come play for them, the teachers loved me, and I had a bunch of friends that I knew since elementary and middle school.”

After getting admitted into Harker at the end of his freshman year, Harker’s financial aid was what ultimately convinced Marcus and his family to switch schools.

“I got [into Harker in] sophomore year and the two things that were keeping me from going to Harker was the commute and the price,” he said. “When Harker offered a bunch of financial aid for me and my family, my mom literally started crying…I was like alright now I got to start planning to go to Harker.”

Although his decision to switch schools was difficult, Marcus believes that it was ultimately the right one.

“Of course it was a hard decision, I was leaving a bunch of friends and I’m still friends with them now, it’s just not the same as it used to be,” he said. “We’re still tight, but I guess not as tight as we would have if we’d stayed together. It’s not a bad thing of course, I’ve learned a lot from Harker. I’ve made a ton of friends too and done a bunch of things with new friends and had a bunch of new experiences.”

In his opinion, senior Mitchell Granados believes that Marcus’s approachable personality allowed him to adjust to Harker with ease.

“Marcus came to Harker at sophomore year and fit in right away,” Mitchell said. “When I got to know him, he always has the best jokes and always brings positive energy to any conversation.”

For Devin Keller (11), a receiver on the football team, Marcus’s confident, lively personality could not be more welcome.

“Marcus is always the most spirited person on the field during football practice,” Devin said. “He’s always making us laugh and is just such a chill person in general. I remember when we vacationed together in Mexico, and he was just making me laugh the entire trip.”

In the end, Marcus stresses the need for people to be ambitious and trust in themselves. In his mind, only then, would they succeed.

“Reach,” Marcus said. “Reach high. If you don’t shoot high you’re not going to get anywhere.”