Height. Size. Strength. Speed. Agility. All of these are qualities of a successful athlete. Yet, the secret to an athlete’s improvement isn’t just physical — it’s a determined mindset, Athletic Director and Varsity Field Hockey Coach Jaye Locke said.

 “It’s really easy to go through the motions at practice and just to do what’s asked of you, but you have to say, ‘I’m going to push myself, I’m going to try to do it with more intensity, with more speed.’ The more you push yourself, it may not look pretty, but it’s through those mistakes that you often gain incredible knowledge.”

 New players often show more measurable improvement than advanced players, Coach Locke said.

 “When somebody has never played something before, their improvement jumps are usually pretty significant. Sometimes, it can be harder when you are really advanced. Jumps might appear smaller, and you have to dig in deep to get to a new level.”

 Girls’ JV Basketball and JV Field Hockey Coach Brianna Smith ’10 agreed.

 “I have seen players who have never played the sport before end up learning quickly and end the season starting games. A player’s improvement is directly tied to the effort they put into practice.”

 While physical development can take years, Coach Locke, Coach Smith and student-athletes said a single season can significantly change how a player performs and understands their role on a team.

 Jack Reinfeld ’27 joined Boys’ Varsity Soccer after playing on JV his freshman and sophomore years.

 “My goal going into the season was to do my best and see if I can make an impact in practice or in games. Because of how things unfolded, I ended up playing a bunch. Then, my goal shifted to helping win however I can and not focusing on personal stats but just the team.”

 Athletes’ stamina and endurance often develop quicker than their strength.

 “It’s definitely possible to improve your cardio in season because you will be playing your sport every day of the week, so the sheer amount of reps you get will result in improved cardio,” Jack said. “As for aspects of your sport that are difficult to improve on during the season, it’s challenging to put on weight or get stronger in season. That’s because you are so drained from your sport that there is little time to do the extra work in the gym that is required for gaining muscle.”

 Kaeleigh Neil ’27 has been on Girls’ Varsity Hockey and JV Field Hockey since her freshman year.

 “My main goal for field hockey was to be around my friends and just have a good time. My goal wasn’t to make varsity. I’ve always felt like it was more of something to do for fun and more chill. My goals for hockey have been improving my game, working toward being a better player and contributing more.”

 While Kaeleigh plays hockey year-round, she only plays field hockey during the fall.

 “I usually put my stick down in November and don’t touch it again until the first day of JV Field Hockey in September,” she said. “I improve throughout the season, but then, I have to start over every year. For hockey, I’m able to improve more because I play year-round. In the offseason, you have to put in a lot more effort to maintain your skills and keep improving.”

 Tommy Bresler ’27 started off playing JV Boys’ Hockey as a freshman. Last year, Tommy made the varsity team for the first time.

 “I understood my place on varsity, and I understood that I would have to improve if I were to play, so that’s what I focused on. My main goal for this year is to play as much as I can and work hard in practice. Our coach talks a lot about how if you work hard, you’re going to play. So far this season, I’ve seen that.”

 Tommy gained skills from the JV team that translated across levels.

 “At my JV practices, I was often better than a lot of other kids, but it was still good to skate every day,” he said. “We would play teams that were better than we were, so even if the people in practice weren’t better than me, I still got experience playing against bigger guys. Getting bigger and stronger helped me make varsity, as well.”

 Now that he’s on varsity, Tommy improves more during the offseason.

 “When I was on JV, I improved more in season because when I would skate outside of school, I didn’t care that much,” he said. “Once I made varsity, we started having really high intensity skating practices in the summer with the whole team.”

 Girls’ Varsity Basketball Co-Captain Abby Gametchu-Walker ’26 said the offseason enables more significant progress for players.

 “It’s the most crucial time to improve. Most people are playing AAU, a year-round club team environment, which includes high-level competition at a high volume. There is no shape like game-shape, but getting stronger and faster is the number one priority of the offseason so you can come in prepared.”