By Terra Avilla
I am officially in my era where writing about the youth in our community brings me the absolute most joy. There is just something so special about watching the next generation step up, and today’s spotlight belongs to the incredible Layla Jacome.
When Layla first rolled into our world (quite literally) as a fierce little jiu-jitsu warrior, I quickly realized I was late to the party. The second she stepped onto the mats, it was obvious that all the kids already knew her and more importantly, they absolutely adored her.
She has this natural, magnetic light about her that instantly elevates the energy in the entire room.
It took all of about five minutes for her to become Peach’s absolute favorite rolling partner. If you spend time on the mats, you know how rare it is to find a training partner who will scrap with you tooth and nail, but also have you giggling between rounds, and boy do those two girls love to giggle (even when they are in the middle of choking the other one out).
As a coach, I cannot stress enough how much I genuinely adore having her on the mat, and I have to admit a little coach’s secret: one of my absolute favorite things to do is intentionally pair Layla up with the boys.
She is almost always the smaller one in the matchup, but they have absolutely no idea what they are in for. The timer starts, and this sweet girl instantly flips a switch and transforms into a fierce little soldier. There is honestly nothing better than watching her go to work on the mats, dominating a tough round with her signature long ponytail just waving through the air as she locks in a submission and taps out whoever got in her way.
What I love even more is when the round ends, she wipes the sweat off her forehead, slaps hands, and goes right back to giggling like nothing happened.
In the winter, she is grinding it out on the wrestling mats, proving that her toughness and grappling IQ translate perfectly across sports. When she isn’t on the mats, you can find her flying down the soccer field, out-working everyone else with that endless athletic gas tank, and work ethic of hers.
But what amazes me the most is her brilliant spark and creativity she recently performed in her school play and was wonderful!
She never compromises either side of herself, and she proves that you don’t have to choose. You can be beautifully feminine, be a total girly girl, and still be the absolute toughest, grittiest athlete in the room.
As a mom, you are always quietly watching the kids who surround your own children. I can honestly say from the bottom of my heart that Layla is exactly the type of girl I want my daughter to be friends with. She is strong, fiercely kind, undeniably capable, and she constantly builds up the people around her.
Whenever I catch myself worrying about where the world is heading, I just look at kids like her and take a deep breath. Layla is the future, and because she is in it, I know the future is looking incredibly bright, because Layla is one of the reasons I love where we live.
