In high school athletics, the most valued leadership position is the team captain. On the school varsity sports teams, each team elects at least one captain to represent their team and as a leader on and off the field or court. The captain is often an upperclassman, such as a junior or senior, as they usually have more experience playing the sport and being a part of the team. Each team has a different role for their captain, and what being a captain represents varies from team to team.
Quinn Breed is a junior in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and the co-captain of the varsity tennis team. He is an example of being a hard-working student who also leads a high school sports team.
This year is Breed’s first season as the tennis team captain, but he has been on the team for all three years of his high school career.
“I love playing [school] sports, especially because I get to play with my friends,” Breed said.
As a captain, Breed has many roles in aiding his team and being a leader.
“As captain…my role is mainly to encourage a sense of community in the team, for all players. I think that captains are a great way to bring the team together,” Breed said.
Being on a sports team is a massive part of a student’s high school experience, and teammates often become great friends for years. Breed’s role in establishing a friendly, fun community is vital to student-athletes’ sense of belonging on a high school team. Especially in team sports, where the pressure of winning does not fall only on one player, athletes need to be able to trust and respect their teammates to help them win. Captains like Breed bring new players together with experienced ones to ensure that the team’s community is inclusive and open.
Being a captain can be very challenging; captains like Breed must balance their athletic leadership with their schoolwork.
“It can be hard to balance school and sports, but sports are still one of my favorite parts of high school,” Breed said.
He believes balancing being a captain with school is possible with a strong work ethnic
Being an upperclassman in high school comes with challenging classes and a busier day after school. Being part of a high school sports team and having a leadership position can make it challenging to manage time.
“I think that the most important part of balancing school and sports is organization,” Breed said. “Staying on top of your assignments and managing your time effectively is necessary to balancing school and sports”
All the school’s sports captains know how challenging it can be to play a sport while a student. This is especially true for athletes who commit hours every day after school to playing a sport while still having everything else going on. Breed is in the IB program at W-L, which is known for having rigorous coursework that takes hours to complete daily.
“Sometimes I don’t sleep until after midnight”, Breed said. “While it can be difficult at times, sports are one of my favorite parts of high school”.
Breed and other captains of sports teams want their classmates and friends to become part of a team community because they believe that sports are a great part of the high school experience and can benefit a student’s physical and mental health.
