Emily Wood
Sports Editor
For most of us, summer means a beach and a book. But for many NCHS student athletes, this season presents another opportunity to compete. This time not representing the Rams, but instead their respective country clubs, whether it be the New Canaan Field Club Bandits, the Waveny Gators or the Lake Club Tigers.
Some of the many athletes in New Canaan were introduced to their sport by getting involved at their country club. Sophomore Erin Bucci is a member of the girls’ varsity swim team and has been on the New Canaan Field Club (NCFC) swim team since she was eight years old.“Summer swimming introduced me to the sport, and once I realized that I liked it and that I was good at it, I decided to swim more during the school year,” Erin said.
Junior Caroline Pratt, a varsity tennis player and a member of the Country Club of New Canaan (CCNC) also decided to try out for the high school team after she took lessons and played tennis at her country club.
“I had a lot of fun when I played summer sports at my country club and I realized that if I’m having a lot of fun, I should take it more seriously and dedicate myself to it outside of just the summer,” Caroline said.
While many athletes play the same sport in the summer as in the school year, some say that it is more difficult to really compete outside of school.
“In the summer, the whole goal of the season is to have fun and let the kids ease into the sport, so when I started, there wasn’t any pressure and the focus was just to enjoy it,” junior Bobby Ross said, member of NCFC and the boys’ varsity diving team.
“The high school season is definitely more intense and beneficial because you have the eyes of the whole team on you and you don’t want to let any of them down. It forces you to put pressure on yourself to get better,” Bobby said.
Junior Jenna Egan, who swims on the girls’ varsity team and also at NCFC, said that the high school provides a more closely knit team and also harder workouts. “During the summer, the sport of swimming is more laid back and you are mixed with all different age groups,” Jenna said. “During high school season, the team is awesome and we have an absolute blast, but the practices are harder and every single move you make in practice counts.”
Erin agrees, saying, “The main difference is the level of intensity and competition. High school swimming also supplies the feel of a close team; you have to train harder for high school swimming and race harder too.”
For freshman member of NCFC, Trey Oehmler, summer swimming has helped him prepare to join the high school swim team. “At the Field Club the meets are mostly dual meets where you compete against another club. This is similar to the setup of high school meets,” Trey said, “I think the experience of swimming for the Field Club is a good precursor for swimming for the high school.”
Although high school sports may win the battle of “Country club vs. High school”, many athletes agree that both seasons are beneficial and enjoyable in similar and different ways. “I love both high school swimming and summer swimming because the teams are so fun and you are swimming for your team, not just for yourself,” Jenna said.
