Any varsity sport requires an immense amount of time. Add another, non-Deerfield affiliated team, proctorship, and senior year and you’re talking non-stop, on-the-go action. While students do a great job juggling their busy schedules of class, sports, and social lives, few manage as well as Julie Wardwell ’12.
Wardwell’s commitment is most clearly expressed on the athletic front. She plays on a year-long outside travel hockey team, serves as the captain of the girls’ varsity ice hockey and lacrosse teams and contributes immensely to both.
When asked about her dedication to hockey, the sport she will continue to play next year at Middlebury College, Wardwell said, “Hockey has been a part of my life for so long that it has become a part of me. It’s my way to relieve stress and leave everything else behind. Although it takes up a lot of time, every hockey team I’ve been on has been like a family, so going to practice is the equivalent of hanging out with friends.”
This family aspect, Wardwell said, is one of her favorite parts of her experience. “Because hockey is such a long season, the team gets really close, which makes the long bus rides, team dinners, and locker room dance parties all the more fun.”
The fun doesn’t stop with hockey. With one of the girls’ hockey team’s best seasons in recent history coming to a close, Wardwell still has the captaining of lacrosse to look forward to this spring.
“Lacrosse season is always so much fun because the weather begins to turn warm and because it is such a short season. It is exciting to jump right into games and to see just how far a team is willing to go to succeed in a short time period.”
If Wardwell’s devotion to and talent in athletics don’t convince you how much she embodies a Deerfield athlete, her school spirit certainly will. “I love the pride that comes with playing at Deerfield. Everyone comes out to support all of the teams, which just makes every game more exciting when you have a fun crowd to cheer you on.”