On a bus ride to an away game teammates watched as Girls Varsity Basketball (GVB) player Lucy Song ’26 opened a college decision letter.
“My favorite memory was this last Deerfield trip, seeing Lucy open her Harvard acceptance letter. The whole team went wild. Moments like those bring us closer together as a team,” GVB player Diya Gandhi ’27 said.
For Diya, teams create opportunities for friendships across grade levels that don’t often form during the school day. With students often separated by grade in classes, common spaces and schedules, athletic teams bring all ages together in a shared environment.
“As the only junior on the basketball team, I spent a lot of time with upperclassmen and lowerclassmen who are now some of my closest friends,” Diya said. Director of Athletics Jaye Locke said teams play a key role in connecting students across grades.
“The friendships you can make on a team across grades are very special,” she said. “In some ways you wish reunions would include other years because you’d love to see your teammate who’s in another grade.”
Head Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse Coach Taylor Clancy said she intentionally mixes players across grades during practices and team activities to encourage those relationships.
“When I make groups, I make sure people are comfortable with someone in their group but are also exposed to people in different grades that they aren’t as close with,” she said.
Coach Clancy also pairs players for the season in a system called “Battle Buddies,” designed to build consistent connections between teammates.
“Everyone is paired up with a person for the entire season who they can rely on if they have any issues or to pump them up before games,” Coach Clancy said. “I hope they gain lifelong friendships.”
For younger players, those relationships often become a central part of their team experience. Girls’ Varsity Soccer and Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse player Grace Venuti ’29 said upperclassmen have been a source of support.
“Any time I need positive reinforcement, I go to the upperclassmen,” she said. “Especially my Battle Buddy. I feel like they’re always there to support me.”
Boys’ Varsity Soccer player Kai Veson ’27 said joining a team introduced him to a wide range of students early on.
“The biggest change for me was my freshman year when I joined a team with 22 people and only one of my teammates was a freshman,” he said. “I instantly made 22 new friends that I hung out with every day after school.”
