Ask an Upper School (US) student-athlete why they play multiple sports, and their answers are rarely about trophies. Several US students said playing multiple sports is one of the best ways to stay successful throughout their entire year.

 Varsity Field Hockey and Girls’ Varsity Hockey (GVH) player Serena Mohsen ’29 said some movements in her two sports overlap.

 “Field hockey has a lot of running, which is good cross-training for hockey, and all the lateral movements transfer from one sport to the next. To prepare my body and mindset for a new sport, I usually remind myself of the different rules and strategies each sport has. Both sports use a stick, but in field hockey, you are only able to use one side of the stick, and in hockey you can use both, so switching to hockey always requires an extra second to think about the difference.”

 Some athletes feel pressure to devote their training to one sport.

 “Since the biggest time for college recruiting to happen is in the fall, many coaches have told me to drop field hockey so I can focus on hockey and recruiting,” Serena said. “As I near the main recruiting time next year, I sometimes worry that I might get hurt from playing sports six days a week. … Injuries and burnout factor a lot into my thinking since there are almost no rest days through the school year, which makes for little time to recover. But I think there are many benefits to playing multiple sports and taking a break from your main sport.”

 GVH Coach Jori Balsam ’19 played hockey and lacrosse at the US and later at Wesleyan College.

 “I loved being a two-sport athlete both at BB&N and in college,” she said. “At BB&N, it was great to meet additional people and work with my teammates toward a common goal. Oftentimes, athletes who play multiple team sports have higher sports IQs and better game sense. Multi-sport athletes learn to be great teammates as they participate on multiple teams and work with a variety of people.”

 Varsity Volleyball and Varsity Softball player Gaella de Fontaine ’27 said she started playing volleyball to meet the school’s sports requirement.

 “It’s really fun playing a sport that I’m not 100% focused on because it’s a nice break to try something new. Sometimes, though, I feel pressure to put in more work for volleyball since the entire team except for me plays year-round.”

 Gaella’s volleyball practice helps her with her softball performance.

 “The arm path in throwing a softball is the same as the arm path of hitting a volleyball,” she said. “Doing these actions help me prepare for each season.”

 Boys’ Varsity Hockey defenseman and Varsity Baseball first baseman Ryan Clay ’26 continues to compete in both sports.

 “I definitely felt the pressure and necessity to pick either hockey or baseball to focus on, and I chose hockey,” he said. “After a grueling three-and-a-half month hockey season with 28 games and practices every non-game day, I’m burnt out, injured and tired. But I’m always excited for baseball season.”

 Ryan made the decision not to play either sport in college.

 “If I had wanted to drop baseball and focus solely on hockey training year-round, I think I could have gotten recruited and gone through the college hockey process,” he said. “But playing two sports makes me able to relax more and lets me know that I can compete and hold my own in any situation.”