IN HER ELEMENT — Mary York is captain of the cross-country team, editor-in-chief of Pivot magazine, full-time student and teacher. Photo by Natalie Mosqueda

IN HER ELEMENT — Mary York is captain of the cross-country team, editor-in-chief of Pivot magazine, full-time student and teacher. Photo by Natalie Mosqueda

“You’re a horse and horses don’t stop,” declared Mary York, the cheerful captain of the cross-country team.

York, 25, a Spanish major, is the captain, a full-time student and works three jobs.

She is a high school English and Spanish teacher at Covenant Christian School, sports reporter for the East County Californian and founder of “San Diego Pivot,” a sports website and soon-to-be print magazine. York said each job is an extension of her passions and all tie into her love of sports.

“I used to think whatever you were in high school, you are in life, and I was a nerd,” she said. “I never did anything sports related.”

From K-12 York was homeschooled through Heritage Christian School.

“Our mascot was a tree,” she said.

Out of seven children, York was the only one of her siblings who did not play sports, but she did not let this limit her interaction with other student-athletes. As a straight A student, she wondered why more athletes were not also getting As.

“I used to look down on athletes, honestly” said York. “I couldn’t understand why they were struggling to get Cs in class. Joining the cross-country team this season, I finally appreciate just what a student-athlete is. I’m studying just to get Bs.”

York stressed her personal struggle and spoke of her exhaustion after attending three-hour cross-country practices, getting homework done and attending evening classes, as well as juggling her three jobs.

“It is taking every ounce of concentration and effort I have to pull good grades this semester,” she said.

Even so, York earned the title of cross-country captain.

“People tell me I’m wasting my time,” she said, “but we need more people to understand the value of teamwork.”

After sustaining four injuries this season, York said she had to learn to motivate her teammates from the sidelines.

“Wanting to be a leader and being one of the slowest members on the team was the worst,” she said.

During meets, the women race first, cheered on by the male runners. Afterwards, Lady Jags cheer for the guys. 

“I’ve never experienced anything like it,” York said. “If you don’t love your teammates, the team suffers. Nobody wins.”

York said she discovered her love of sports during her time writing for The Sun. She earned the baseball beat, which required her to learn the game and its lingo.

“I just fell in love with it,” she said. “I went to all the games. I found a glossary of baseball terms and learned them.”

It was that experience that led to her decision to join the cross-country team.

“Just because I’m a nerd, doesn’t mean I can’t be an athlete,” she said. “If I can report about sports, then I can do them.”

York furthered her career in sports journalism when she accepted a part-time position at the East County Californian in El Cajon. Combining her passions led her to the creation of San Diego Pivot, a media platform covering high school athletics.

“Pivot is the manifestation of my growth. I love to tell stories that make a difference. We need to know that heroes can come from our neighborhoods.”

Her aspiration for Pivot is for it to become a platform for high school students that will create internships, she said, allowing students to report on their own schools.

“I want parents to buy the magazine because their kid is in there,” she said. “I know there’s a possibility this magazine might fail, but I’m doing it because life is made up of attempts. Follow the glimmer of possibility.”

She said sports are a fundamental factor in the development of young adults and have the capacity to change communities.

“People need to start acting like a team,” she said. “Our success as a nation is defined by our ability to work as a team.”