In the span of a decade, three siblings who were and are Bonita Vista High (BVH) students have  reached the State Championship for the different sports they play. These siblings—sophomore Jaslene De Armas, BVH class of 2013, Santiago De Armas and BVH class of  2017, Raelene De Armas— started playing sports when they were young.

 The siblings’ parents, Marlene De Armas and Jorge De Armas, enforced a rule throughout their childhood called the “Two Sport” rule, where all siblings were required to play at least two sports at all times. M. De Armas and J. De Armas believe that this rule allows their children to grow and learn how to deal with adversities. 

“We think it helps develop who they are as a person, how they can be the best that they can be and to work hard. Thus, such as work ethic and those kinds of things,” M. De Armas said.

The two sport rule is a creative way for the siblings to be introduced to multiple sports. This allowed them to find a sport they were confident in, where they would be able to experience accomplishments and enjoy themselves simultaneously

“When they were little, we would put them in different types of sports or dance. Whatever they felt most comfortable with [and whatever] they wanted to pursue is what we encouraged,” M. De Armas said.

Beginning with the oldest sibling, R. De Armas grew up playing cross country and track and field throughout her high school years. With the support of both her parents and siblings, R. De Armas was able to compete at a state level in 2013 for the girls’ varsity track and field team, where she participated in a relay race. When she graduated BVH in 2013, her race set future goals for her siblings.

“You get used to the people that you race with down here [in San Diego]. Then having to go and seeing people with way better uniforms than what we had was intimidating.,” R. De Armas said.

Not only did R. De Armas had the opportunity to compete at a state championship level, but she also became a role model for her siblings. S. De Armas took his older sister as an example while playing football and lacrosse. During his junior year at BVH, S. De Armas and the rest of the varsity football team won California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and regionals in 2015, then moved forward to compete at the state championship. After graduating in 2017, S. De Armas recalls his experience in high school. 

“It was a really memorable experience. It was the first time we traveled as a team for football. Being able to play with my friends all throughout school and finishing our junior year on that note was really cool,” S. De Armas said.

During S. De Armas’s time on the BVH’s football team, he had to find a balanced relationship with his mother due to the fact she was a novice and JV outside linebacker coach. Whether on or off the field, the mother and son relationship dynamic remained the same.

“Coaches are really straight up on your performance but my mom was always really honest with me about my play, whether it was good or bad. Which is always good even if it’s hard to hear sometimes,” S. De Armas said. 

De Armas, mother of all three siblings, coached BVH’s novice football team for five and a half years. During that time, she  developed new coaching ethics, including developing a relationship with the athletes. She also taught them how to develop relationships with their teammates. With her experiences, M. De Armas was able to help all three children by giving advice and motivating them.

“[My mom] was a good role model. Being able to see how much she influenced the team and how well they listen to her. It was k eye opening to be like ‘You can’t have that relationship with your coach,’” R. De Armas said. “It could be a love-hate relationship sometimes but in the long run, [coaches are] there to help guide you no matter how much it may suck sometimes.”

These coaching ethics passed on to J. De Armas, the youngest sibling.  J. De Armas is currently a BVH sophomore and is playing lacrosse as a defender. Earlier this year she played varsity basketball as shooting guard and field hockey as defense. She has been involved in sports since she was a toddler and has attended S. De Armas’ football games and R. De Armas’ track meets.

“I’m super proud of J. De Armas for participating in all of her sports. Even though I am so much older than her, it’s been nice that I can come and support her the way that she supported me,” R. De Armas said.

On Mar. 11, BVH girls’ varsity basketball team attended the state championship, where J. De Armas competed along with her team. This event was held in Sacramento, California where the Lady Barons unfortunately lost to Central High School. The older De Armas siblings prepared J. De Armas for this significant event of her sophomore year.

“I think it was a good trip. When we all first walked into the gym we saw how big the stadium was and how big the court was. The dimensions of the court are so different so it was that first sight was really fun,” J. De Armas said.

It was a fortunate event for all three of the De Armas siblings to attend state championships in each of their individualized sports, showing constant support for one another to help their sports journey.

“[Going to the state championship] is definitely something that we never expected to happen as it gradually happened. It’s kind of something that we like to brag about and it’s fun to see our passion for sports and how we’ve followed through with it. It was a nice blissful moment for all of us,” R. De Armas said.