Chance Gorman ’18 carries the puck up the ice at the U.S.A. Hockey National Championships.
Many athletes not only play varsity sports here at Choate, but also play on club teams outside of Choate and, of course, manage their school work and everything else they do here. Basketball player Sam Gallo ’19 plays for CT Impact; ice hockey players Effie Tournas ’20 and Christina Tournas ’20 play with the Mid Fairfield Stars; ice hockey and lacrosse player Gina Driscoll ’20 plays for the Mid Fairfield Stars and Nor’Easter; and baseball player Jonah Feldman ’20 plays with the Cheshire Legion. These five athletes were kind enough to share the insights of their everyday lives.
Gallo said that she tries to take advantage of her frees during the day. Whenever she has downtime, she tries to get ahead on work. With the work of preparing for tests and quizzes alongside homework, Driscoll, who plays on two different teams, finds it difficult to worry about academics especially when they have tournaments and games every so often. Many of these athletes also need to stay up later or get up earlier than most students, as they need to catch up on work.
Most of these athletes started playing for their club team when they were in middle school. Obviously, as 13-year-olds, these students didn’t fully grasp the meaning of prioritizing. When asked what they prioritize now, all five athletes were very clear that academics came first. They said it was hard at first to finish all their work and then go to practices or tournaments, but, through time, they have been able to adapt to the necessary schedule of their busy days.
Gallo said, “Time management is definitely not my strongest skill. Up until the last year I never needed to put much thought into it.” Both Tournas sisters mentioned that they started playing in middle school, and life got harder once they came to Choate. It was a difficult transition, as they were playing two sports alongside the homework and club team practices. But through trial and error they have found a balance.
These athletes all have their reasons for pursuing athletics outside of Choate. Feldman said that he started to play for a club team because baseball is one of his passions and since it’s not offered in the fall at Choate. Driscoll stated, “I would love to play hockey and lacrosse in college and the best way to do that is to get as much playing time as possible. Sports have been my life since I was three. It’s all I’ve known. Without sports I would not be at Choate, that is for sure.”
All five students agree that the intensity on their club teams is similar to the intensity of athletics at Choate. Feldman said, “The practices are always high-effort and winning games is key.” Gallo also mentioned that both Choate and AAU teams ask athletes to push themselves individually. Recently, Driscoll and the two Tournas sisters went to the U.S.A. Hockey National in Massachusetts and made it to the quarterfinals. They played against other high schools in the U.S.A., and the intensity and level of competition was definitely high.
These five students understand the struggles of playing on a club team and going to Choate—and how to find one’s way through the challenge.
