- September 6, 2024
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Majestic van Ingen called her shot.
A recent graduate of Sarasota's Riverview High, van Ingen was a sophomore when she volunteered in the Rams football team's film department. She had been a football fan all her life, having watched the NFL every Sunday in the fall with her family, though she was a soccer player herself.
At an offseason football practice, van Ingen looked down from the Ram Bowl's film booth at the players, and a thought formed in her head. She could do what they were doing — and she would like to prove it. van Ingen turned to a friend next to her in the booth and made a declaration: She was going to be on that field herself in a year's time.
Two weeks later, van Ingen approached Rams Head Coach Josh Smithers about a kicking tryout. With her strong soccer skills, she thought, kicking would be the easiest path to making the team.
"I don't think he (Smithers) was jumping at the idea," van Ingen said with a laugh. "He didn't know me, and I didn't know him. But he let me come and try out."
During the tryout, van Ingen did enough to earn a spot on the roster, though an injury would shut her down for a bit in the aftermath. Eventually, through her work that offseason and into her junior and senior seasons, van Ingen secured the coaching staff's trust. As a senior in 2023-2024, van Ingen was the team's primary kicker, making 53 of 54 extra points and five of seven field goals.
van Ingen enjoyed the on-field aspects of football as much as she thought she would, but it was the off-field lessons she learned that are going to stay with her now that she has graduated.
In a time when school and youth sports are taken as seriously by some as professional sports, van Ingen will remember her time in football not for the wins and losses, or where it led athletically, but how it changed her.
"It was the best experience of my life," van Ingen said.
In joining the Rams, van Ingen was the only female athlete on the team. It was apparent to her that she would have to earn the respect of her teammates. That was OK with her. She learned to believe in herself, no matter who else did.
During summer works, van Ingen forced herself to work as hard or harder than her teammates, whether in on-field drills or in the weight room. Her work ethic turned heads. In the summer, she would run early-morning sprints with her teammates until she vomited, she said. She never complained. By the time a year passed from her initial declaration to her friend, van Ingen was not simply on the team, she was an important part of it.
As a senior, van Ingen learned to stretch her leadership muscles. After a host of senior leaders graduated, she and others had to take their place. van Ingen began speaking more in group meetings, feeling empowered to do so.
She also learned to deal with pressure-packed situations. As a junior, van Ingen missed an important kick against Palmetto High, a game the Rams would eventually lose. As a senior, van Ingen and the Rams played Palmetto again, and though the memories of the previous season's game bounced around her head, she was perfect on all her kicks.
As of June 21, van Ingen was debating her next stop, having narrowed her choices down to a few colleges, a final decision on the horizon. No matter where she goes next, she said, she will take the lessons of her time in high school football with her.
"I feel like I can accomplish anything," van Ingen said. "It paid off mentally and physically."
It's not just high school sports, or high school athletes, that can make a difference.
Christian Garzia was a seventh grader at The Out-of-Door Academy in 2023-2024. He played for the school's football, basketball and lacrosse teams but also played rugby through the Sarasota Surge Rugby Club.
He's a family-oriented person. His favorite athletic moments are facing his brother Michael in rugby; the two don't hold back on each other, he said, which makes it fun.
Christian is also close with his other brother Rocco though in a different way. Rocco has Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterized by chronic hunger, growth hormone deficiency and behavior challenges. It affects approximately one person per 15,000 live births worldwide.
Jen Garzia, Christian's mother, said Christian has always been interested in Rocco's syndrome. When Rocco was younger, the behavioral issues stemming from his syndrome would cause him to be restrained or pushed down to the ground. Christian said this bothered him. People didn't understand Rocco or his syndrome. Christian worried for him, he said, but he felt helpless. There wasn't anything he could do for Rocco.
Not then, anyway. In recent years, as Christian has grown up and played sports, his leadership qualities have grown. He's a quarterback in football because he loves the pressure that comes with the position, and he's comfortable giving instructions to his teammates. When he's rushed by defenders, Christian coolly evades them or stands his ground to deliver a pass.
But nowhere has he shown better leadership than in the advocacy for Rocco and others with Prader-Willi syndrome. In May, the Garzia family flew to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of congress about PWS in an attempt to increase awareness of the syndrome and secure support for PWS research and development.
Christian didn't have to participate, but he elected to do so. He met with members of congress, including Rep. Vern Buchanan, and was featured in video shoots describing what it is like to be a sibling of someone with PWS, among other activities.
Why did Christian feel compelled to use his voice?
Because Rocco is his brother.
"I just want the best for him," Christian said. "Everybody with a disability deserves help."
The RMC Foundation, a nonprofit started by the Garzia family, will hold a golf fundraiser at the Ritz Carlton Members Club in Bradenton on Sept. 30. Christian will be there. And the more he gets out of sports — leadership, but also confidence and public speaking skills — the more he will use those skills to advocate for his brother.
As much fun and joy as sports bring to kids in school, their long-term benefits can mean so much more.
