Teammates Isabelle So ’20 and Ben Zhao ’18 pose for a photo. Photo courtesy of Ross Mortensen
rom former professional baseball player David “Big Papi” Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox to former NBA shooting guard Kobe “Black Mamba” Bryant, nicknames coined for athletes have long been a common and intriguing aspect of all sports. Athletics at Choate are no different, and oftentimes, athletes are either given nicknames upon their arrival at Choate or bring in nicknames from previous teams. There is no doubt that many of these nicknames carry unique and significant meaning, and some have exceptionally interesting stories behind their creation.
Perhaps the most common type of nickname given to athletes are those referencing their first or last name, a simple yet practical nickname for in-game situations. For example, Isabelle So ’20, member of Girls’ Varsity Swimming and Girls’ Varsity Water Polo, uses a combination of her first and last name as a nickname. So adopted the nickname “ISO” after another teammate had a similar name. “Honestly, I have no idea how I got the nickname ‘ISO.’ I believe it was Cecilia Zhou ’17 who first started calling me that,” she explained. “It was my freshman year and it was my first time playing water polo. There was another girl that we both knew, Isabelle Peel ’19, and everyone called her ‘Izzy,’ so it was weird whenever someone called me by that name. So, being as my first name is Isabelle and my last name is So, she started yelling ISO.” She added, “My friends and teammates heard it and they continued calling me that afterward, and I guess it stuck.”
While some are referred to by their first and last names, others have even shorter nicknames referencing only their first initial. Like creating nicknames from last names, a nickname with one letter is even easier for teammates and coaches to say. Deanna Tan ’20, Girls’ Varsity Squash player, has one of these nicknames. “Basically, my coach first started calling me ‘D.’ It was basically out of convenience because it was much easier for my coach to call me ‘D; than saying ‘Deanna,’” she stated. However, she received her nickname before she arrived to Choate. Tan explained, “Since I was very young, my parents have called me D. So, I have sort of been called that for a while.
On the other hand, some nicknames carry more comprehensive and unique stories. Varsity lacrosse player and Middlebury College lacrosse commit Will Ryan ’19 was given the nickname “Mangos” during his freshman year. “I got my nickname, ‘Mangos,’ at lacrosse preseason my freshman year,” he said. “Toby Armour ’10, who went to Choate and coached my freshman year, played lacrosse at Johns Hopkins with a kid named Will Ryan. His teammate had the nickname ‘Mangos,’ so Toby started calling me ‘Mangos’ too. The nickname stuck, and some people still only call me Mangos.”
Similarly, varsity lacrosse player Arinze Nzeako ’19 also received his nickname during the lacrosse preseason trip of his freshman year. “Freshmen roomed with seniors on the trip, so I had older guys in my room. I drove from my house to preseason and brought like 100 dollars worth of food. I was kind of a pushover, so I would give all the snacks to the seniors on the team,” Nzeako said. “Then, one night in our room Andreas Piepenburg ’16 said, ‘Bro, you’re like the team snack guy. Your nickname is “Snacks” now.’ And soon enough, all of the guys on the team started calling me ‘Snacks,’ so it just stuck.”
Although athletes’ nicknames come in all forms, some more complex than others, they are undeniably a permanent part of sports. From simply calling teammates by their last names, to the most inexplicable and random nicknames, there is no doubt nicknames have proven to be an intriguing yet witty aspect of athletics. As each graduating class of student-athletes leave Choate, taking their nicknames with them, there is no doubt that a new wave of creative nicknames will surface to take their place.
