Some post-graduate students at Choate have decided to expand their athletic expertise by participating in new sports during their off-season. Despite their limited experience, many post-graduate athletes are exceptionally skilled in whichever sports they decide to try. Not only are these talented athletes able to expand their athletic abilities, but they also become more connected with the Choate Community.
Owen Clark ’22, now committed to play at Brown University, was recruited to Choate as a Varsity Football player. After playing football in the fall and completing his training in the winter, Clark decided to shift his focus and try out for baseball in the spring. “I like sports a lot, so I wanted to get exposed to a new sport and meet new people and try new things.” He continued, saying, “I have a couple of friends on the baseball team, and they talked me into it.” After tryouts this past week, Clark has officially secured his spot on the varsity roster.
Similarly, Sarang West ’22, a post-graduate who played basketball and is now a member of Varsity Softball this spring, brought up a similar reason to explain why she tried out. “I’m athletic, so I decided to try it out. I always wanted to do it at my old school, but I didn’t get the opportunity to.” West mentioned how her former basketball teammate played a role in her decision to try softball. “One of my teammates on the basketball team is actually on the softball team already, so I got her help and got her help to go over a couple of different things, and I tried it just for fun.”
Although trying out a completely new sport can come with various challenges, many post-graduate athletes find that their extensive experience in sports helps them adapt. West said, “I spent like a good hour and a half before I tried out just trying to figure out how to hit a softball off a tee.” Other than this minor inconvenience, West explained, “Everything else came pretty naturally. I found that it was easy to apply everything because I had so much prior sports experience.”
Clark agrees, as he has also found that his experience playing football has helped him with baseball. “Elements of baseball like reaction time and being fast correlates pretty well with football.” He added, “Baseball is a super mental game, football isn’t as mental, but there are things that I’ve learned in football that will help in baseball.”
Choate’s Athletic Department ensured each post-graduate felt they could explore new athletic avenues during their first and only year at Choate. Landon White ’22, a post-graduate who came to Choate to play baseball and joined Varsity Football in the fall, was “kicking a football, practicing extra points” when the Varsity Football extra team’s coach approached him. There was no looking back for White as he accepted the offer to join the team as a kicker. White, along with many other post-graduates, viewed the support from coaches and players as a key factor in his decision to play. “All the coaches and players welcomed me and were nice, which made me feel confident in my decision to try a new sport.”
