Choate’s athletic fields are riddled with gifted athletes. With virtually every athlete trying to be recruited and make the most of their education, student-athletes at Choate bring their athletic tenacity into the classroom, and it shows.
One way that team captains and leaders set an example for their teammates is in the classroom.
Co-captain of Girls’ Varsity Soccer, Zoë Stublarec ’16, Varsity Football postgraduate Abu “The Honey Badger” Daramy ’16, and Cross-Country Co-captain, Quinn Brencher ’16 sat down with reporter Daniel Brockett ’19 to discuss the the balance between athletics and academics.
Daniel Brockett ’19: How do you manage your time between academic/social/athletic activities?
Zoë Stublarec ’16: It’s really very difficult, and if I’m being honest my time management hasn’t been the best this year. There are just so many things to do senior year on top of academics and athletics, so the only way to do everything is to sleep less. However, when it comes down to it academics and athletics take priority over everything else.
DB: What sports do you play? Which is your favorite sport? Why? When did you start playing?
Abu Daramy ’16: Football, basketball, and track & field, but football is the thing that best puts a smile on my face and helps me escape the world. I’ve been playing since sixth grade.
Quinn Brencher ’16: I run cross-country in the fall and play lacrosse in the spring.
I like cross country because it’s hard to mess up. Everyone knows how to run, and running fast is all you have to do. Improvement is extremely tangible, which is an added benefit. Your time gets better. The team is also great because Varsity and JV aren’t split up, which means that we have kids that never work hard and basically just want to mess around and kids that are extremely serious about the sport. I started in 5th grade, was chubby, whiny, and slow in 6th and 7th grade, then in 8th grade, I was good again.
DB: Who is your role model? Why?
AD: My mother, because she’s fought very tough battles in her life, but yet, she did an amazing job raising and keeping me off the streets.
DB: Where are you going to school next year? Are you planning to play sports there?
AD: Yes, Yale University.
ZS: Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut.
QB: Hopefully at a college, if one will have me. I have not decided yet.
DB: Do you believe athletics can help better students in the classroom?
QB: Yes, I think there are few activities that you can’t salvage a life lesson or skill from. But in concrete terms, I credit cross country with not only improving my willpower, but also allowing me to release steam and forget work for a while, so that I can approach it with a fresh mind.
DB: In the world today and at Choate, what is something that all students could do in order to help make them the best person that they can be?
ZS: That’s a tough one, but I guess know your priorities and live in the moment. Education is most important, and everything else comes second. But something my dad always tells me is “sleep when you’re dead.” This quote is just a reminder that nothing lasts forever , such as being at this school or playing soccer, so you have to enjoy it all while it lasts.
DB: How does academic success compare to athletic success?
AD: Academic success always should come first. It needs to get done in the classroom before you can show your talents off on the sports field.
ZS: Being a co-captain for GVS, I have an immeasurable amount of pride for the sport of soccer and the team. Academic success is more of an individual thing, and that’s great, but I prefer to share success with my team.
QB: They’re different for sure. Athletic success is kind of animalistic and out of control and immediate, and it feels great. Academic success sometimes feels good, but in a “now my mom will love me… yayyyyy…” kind of way. There’s no adrenaline, it’s dopamine on a slow drip. Academic success can also feel totally fake, and I don’t think athletic success is as susceptible to that.
DB: What is it like being scouted and recruited?
AD: Its an amazing feeling. In the back of your mind you know you won’t have to pay for college. The recruiting process is like no other.
DB: Did finally getting the scholarships change your efforts in school or on the football fields?
AD: It relieved me from all the stress, but that’s not stopping me from accomplishing my ultimate goal. The scholarship gave me hope.
Daramy, Stublarec, and Brencher continually make positive contributions to Choate on the field and in the classroom. Their positive and determined attitudes allow them to excel in all aspects of life at Choate and beyond. The lessons learned as a student-athlete, including time management, prioritization, and focus, extend beyond Wallingford, though; Zoë, Quinn, and Abu have already begun to reap the benefits.
