Choate is a time-consuming place, there’s no doubt about it. However, the Choate grind just isn’t enough for some students; despite bountiful time commitments, a special group of athletes on campus finds time to play for club and town teams outside of school.
Some of these students are committed to teams both at and outside of Choate, like Dilibe Iloeje ’18, one of the rising stars on the boys’ varsity soccer team. Iloeje is not only an instrumental part of the Choate offense, but also a highly valued player on his club team, Sporting CT.
When asked about the difficulty of balancing club soccer with Choate commitments, Iloeje said, “My club team’s schedule is less rigorous than Choate sports because I only have practice twice a week … It’s much easier to get work done during the week, since this schedule gives me more time to study. However, when I do have practices and games, they take up more time than Choate sports would.” Iloeje emphasized the importance of time management on days like these. Still, he said, “ I prefer playing outside sports because in general you have a lot more time in the week.”
However, some out-of-school athletes choose not to play an additional sport at Choate, like Cammi Chester ’17. She comes from a rugby family and decided to play on Cheshire’s team after discovering that Choate doesn’t offer a rugby program. Chester said, “As a freshman, I was told to spend as much time on campus as possible, so I considered not doing rugby at first. But when freshman fall rolled around, I decided to sign up for morning fitness so that I could still do rugby in the afternoons. That was horrible. I was in the gym by 6 a.m. every day, then I went straight to school, and then to rugby for two hours. Luckily, my fitness teacher helped me get a sports exemption so I was able to get through rugby practice without collapsing.”
Chester added that she’s glad she joined Cheshire’s rugby team because she has been able to make connections with people outside of Choate. In addition, traveling for practices makes for a refreshing change of scenery every day.
She also enjoys the less-competitive nature of a town team. Chester said, “Sports at private schools are extremely competitive, which I love, but that means rivalry between teams can turn petty and hurtful. All Connecticut rugby teams are very close, and they foster a sense of camaraderie. Even after beating each other up on the field, we always sit down and share a meal with the other team afterwards.”
Chester noted that despite all the benefits of doing a sport outside of Choate, she can’t deny the inconvenience of it all. “My practices are a half hour away. I usually leave right after school and don’t get back to campus until 6:30, which is a pretty unfortunate situation to be in during junior spring.”
Another fifth former, Sarina Sun ’17, has been figure skating since the age of four and, naturally, wanted to pursue this throughout her high school career. “It can be a good way to get to know people outside of Choate, but for me, skating is just a way to continue doing something I love,” Sun said. Team Espirit, Sun’s figure skating squad, meets two or three times each week in a rink about twenty minutes away from Choate. Sun said that, in addition to travelling for practices, attending figure skating competitions can conflict with her school commitments. She occasionally has to leave class early or skip the entire day, which is something that Choate athletes rarely need to resort to.
All around, Choate athletes seem to love playing their sport outside of school. Town and club programs can be a great way to enrich your high school experience, especially if Choate’s athletic programs don’t include your desired sport. Time requirements may vary, but everyone involved has fun getting outside of the Choate bubble to pursue the sport they love.
