After three years of playing spring sports, seniors give their all for one last season of a high school spring sport. Some seniors will simply play one more final season, but other seniors will help lead themselves and their team as captains. “High school has gone by so fast. I have learned so much from the upperclassmen that led me throughout my career. I am excited to leave my own impact on the team,” said track captain Leighton Joy. 

Henry Pehl, senior that was named honorable mention first team all-Metro last year, is one of the Varsity Lacrosse team’s three captains this year. Pehl will be playing his tenth season of lacrosse this year, since he started playing the game in fourth grade. “Lacrosse has taught me a lot about what it means to be a good athlete as well as a good person. I learned how to work hard and apply myself towards goals that I have, but also how to be a better teammate and leader,” Pehl said. Pehl mentioned that one of his biggest accomplishments while being at Prep is playing for Prep’s lacrosse team. He and his teammates have “built and awesome culture for the program to build off in years to come.’’ Going into their final season, Pehl said it will likely feel “exciting because we have been working all offseason and are hoping to be playing late into May, but it also feels sad because this is going to be my last season with all the boys.’’  Although the lacrosse season is just starting up, the players are determined to win the state championship this year. Even though this will be Pehl’s last lacrosse season while in high school, he plans to keep playing lacrosse for a club team when he goes off to college.

Being a captain for any sport is a huge responsibility. Captains are the leading example for every Seattle Prep sport. The captain for boys’ soccer, Rex Noffsinger stated “You have to realize that your team is looking up to you, that you are supposed to represent them, fight for them and be tough and fair to them.”

Captains help to organize everything including games and meetings to ensure that every player is getting the work they need to succeed during the season, and they “try to bring energy and passion to the team in the spring,” said Joy. She also mentions as a captain, she “will help lead warmups during practices and meets, plan team bonding activities, and uphold the culture of the team.” Since track is such a commitment for Joy, she plans to keep running through college whether it’s walking on to a college team or training for local races. She knows running will forever be a part of her life.  

Although being a captain is a time commitment for seniors as well as hard work, being able to inspire their teammates during the last season enhances their last season as well as the underclassmen’s. It’s beneficial to the underclassmen to have role models to look up to, in order to bond and become better athletes. Captains are a way to tie together a community of athletes, enhance performances of both underclassmen and upperclassmen and enforce leadership examples and qualities. As Softball Captain Hannah Docktor put it best, she “learned how to fail the right way. You should fail because you gave everything you had and simply didn’t have the skill or you need more practice. Never fail by only giving half of what you had. Fail giving everything you had, and then ask questions and practice until you get better. I’ve also learned that the little things and the details matter.”