As we wind up this semester, let’s take a look at our Fall and Winter sports team captains and hear their advice for other student athletes.
The following interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
Fall sports
Cross Country Team Captains – Grace Aldrich ‘25 and Sofia Rodriguez ‘25
How do you balance sleep, homework, and family time?
- Rodriguez: It’s tough but the biggest thing is knowing when you have something big coming up. You have to pick. There are some nights when you just have to get sleep in, and you have to prioritize that over everything else; and there’s times when your body just needs rest.
- Aldrich: Having morning practices is helpful because then you can just do homework when you go home, and you don’t have anything after school, which helps with time management a lot. When you have races, that is when you need to prioritize eating the most because you need to carb load before.
Do you have any tips for lowerclassmen?
- Rodriguez: Something I’ve tried to do throughout the years is to look ahead at my calendar to see which days I have meets, and see which classes I’m missing that day. I will make arrangements in advance. Then you can see if maybe you have a free period when the teacher is teaching that class and pop in. If it’s urgent you really just need to plan ahead. In terms of running and the team spirit aspect of it, I think it is super important. If you want to get better, you have to make it enjoyable, so you really have to take advantage of people and the fact that you are all doing this hard thing together. If you enjoy that atmosphere, you will get better and you will want to compete.
- Aldrich: Try to have fun. Running is not really fun all the time, but you can make it fun when you are with your friends, which is really the most important part. It’s not the racing or the winning, it’s more just trying to have fun when you’re running and with your friends. Time management is also very important. It’s really important to look ahead at your schedule to see when you have a meet and which classes you are going to be missing.
What do you eat before a meet?
- Rodriguez and Aldrich: For breakfast, eggs and toast. For lunch, plain pasta and chicken.
Golf Team Captain – Frances Amat ‘25
What do you keep in your sports bag?
I have tees, balls, gloves, hand sanitizer, chapstick, water, snacks, a raincoat, umbrella, sunscreen, bugspray, and ball markers.
Do you have any tips for lowerclassmen?
Always be on top of your schoolwork and get things done as soon as they’re assigned rather than procrastinating. Also, be really good at balancing athletics and extracurriculars. Having scheduled times to do everything helps you stay on task.
What do you like to eat before a meet?
I like having Cliff bars if I have had a meal so that I’m not hungry. If it’s a meal, I like burritos and wraps.
Diving Team Captain – Nicolette Xydas ‘25
What is your speciality?
I specialize in diving. I would describe diving as almost gymnastics in the water. My events are 1 meter and 3 meter, but for high school, just 1 meter.
How do you balance sleep, homework, and family time?
I think practices are a great way to cut up the day: it’s a break between having to go to class and having to do homework afterwards. I feel way better and refreshed or not as stressed as when I don’t go to practice. I remember that the week of APs I would go home and miss practice because I had to study more, and I would feel like my brain was highly stressed all of the time; practice helped cut it up. I also spend time with my family. I see my family at dinner, and then if my sisters need help with homework afterwards, I’ll help them with that. I also spend time with them on the weekends.
What is your favorite part about being on a team?
Swimming and diving are a bit different because diving is an individual sport, and I am the only diver on the team. But the swim team is willing to cheer me on and offer support, so I think that pushing each other is the best part.
Do you have any tips for lower classmen?
I would say that, specifically with diving, you have to stay focused on what your goal is. You have to be willing to do what your coach says and stay focused on the workout that he sets up for you. Don’t cheat because your work will pay off in the end. This includes stretching. With diving, you just have to put yourself out there and put the effort in. I think the main two things are focus and courage.
Volleyball Team Captain – Luciana Lee ‘25
What is your position?
I am a setter.
How do you balance sleep, homework, and family time?
I have done volleyball for seven years so, over time, I have learned how to do it. I always use my free period wisely just because I don’t have that much time, so I really have to. I also think that during the season, I am way more productive. Last year, I had school practice, so I would have a one-hour break between that and club practice, and I wouldn’t get home until 10 p.m. During school and during classes, I would get a lot done just because I was efficient with my time, and I would also wake up early.
Do you have any pregame snacks/ meals?
My dad makes these things called gringos (everyone on my team calls them that) and they are little ham and cheese sandwiches. He brings them to all the games, and everyone gets super excited for that. We all eat frozen grapes, gringos, and we all have gatorade and apple juice.
Do you have any rituals or superstitions?
I am very superstitious about my serve, and everyone knows that.I have a serving routine where I hit the ball to the ground three times, and I twirl it twice and then I knock on my head for good luck.
Winter sports
Soccer team captain–Paulina Ros ’25
What is your position?
Usually I will play right wing or in the middle (attacking midfield).
How do you balance sleep, homework, and family time?
I think because I have been playing soccer for so long (since I was three), it’s always been a part of my life. I have always had to manage practice and school. Usually at school, I have specific hours that I set to do my homework, or I wake up early in the morning to do it. For family time, my family comes to some of my soccer games and my dad also loves soccer so we bond over that.
What is your favorite part about being on a team?
I really like that everyone supports each other because I have tried many individual sports, and it’s just not the same as when you have the whole team working together. I like working together as a team to score goals or to win a game and support each other. Even when you make a mistake, you feel like you have the whole team behind you.
What do you keep in your sports bag?
My captain bag, deodorant, and all of the jewelry that I have to take off.
What does your schedule look like?
I don’t play club soccer anymore, but when I used to play club soccer, it would be: wake up, get to school, then school practice until 5:45, and then club practice would be at around 7:00. Now that I don’t play club anymore, I get home from school soccer at around 6:30 and that is when I get home, do my homework, shower, eat dinner with my family, and I have time to get everything done.
Do you have any tips for lowerclassmen?
Sometimes it can feel a little bit overwhelming, especially when you do the club sport too, so just balance your time and learn to take advantage of the small amounts of time you have–even bus rides. In the morning, wake up early if you have to. Try to prioritize and compartmentalize your life by setting time aside for each of your activities. If you have a night game, try and do your homework beforehand. Know the amount of time you have for things so that you can get everything done. Essentially, know your priorities.
What do you hope to accomplish this season?
I would like to go to districts, where hopefully we can win, and then regionals so that we can compete there too. I just really want to compete and create a good environment for the team because I know that we have a lot of girls that want to play and win
Basketball Team Captain-Gabriella Pons ‘25
How do you balance sleep, homework, and family time?
I’ve been playing basketball since I was in second or third grade. In addition to school soccer, I have sometimes played AAU and club, so it took some time to balance my sports and academic schedule; I started to be more consistent coming into middle school, but I do lack sleep all the time. I’ve learned that I have to prioritize school over basketball even though they’re both a commitment. For example, if I have an assignment due the next day, I leave practice early to go home and finish the assignment and go to sleep. It’s a matter of figuring out what works for you. For me, I just have to lay out all of my assignments for the week and try to get ahead of everything on the weekend.
What is your favorite part of being on a team?
I like the competitiveness of it. I’m a very competitive person, and I like to watch my teammates develop through my competitiveness because when you play hard, they play hard–you just feed off of each other. Watching them grow to become better people and better players is one of my favorite parts.
What do you keep in your sports bag?
I always keep pre-wrap on me because my knees are destroyed, so I always have to wrap them. I also always have my ankle-braces at all times. They never leave my bag unless they’re being washed.
Do you have any tips for lowerclassmen?
Work hard no matter what. There will be times when you feel like you’re the worst on your team or the worst you’ve ever been, but in those moments you just have to use determination and push through because at the end of the day you’re only the player you want to become. It depends on how much effort you put into the game.
Do you have any pregame snacks/ meals?
I always eat a bag of chips or cookies; it’s normally some sort of junk food. I do it because it’s like a reward for the pre-game.
What do you hope to accomplish this season?
Obviously our schedule this year is really difficult, but I hope to win districts and regionals and go as far as we can after that.
