Though I haven’t always thought of myself first and foremost as an athlete, the teams I was on at Deerfield provided me with many of my most rewarding moments and closest friends. Whether it was thirds squash with Mr. Dickinson or varsity crew with Oli, it was my teammates who made me want to go to practice everyday.

There is nothing better than feeling that you all want the same thing, and on teams, unlike in classes or on committees, everyone’s performance is crucial. That’s not to say that everyone has to be equally good. Believe me, I was never a huge point-scorer for the swim team. But it’s about everyone wanting to win more than anything else and doing whatever is necessary to make that happen.

As a D1 coxswain, I’ve been issued new sneakers and practice uniforms and I will get to travel all over the country for races. But as cool as all of that is, it is not the reason why I wake up at 4:45 every weekday and 5:45 on Saturdays. I keep getting out of bed because Deerfield taught me what it means to be on a team. It’s selfless dedication, but it’s also your love of the sport, the competition, and your teammates. It’s the unified desire to win.

So going into Choate Day, think about why you’re out on that field. It’s about playing for both your team and your school and realizing that the only thing that matters while you’re out there is to BEAT CHOATE.

Scottie Thompson ’09 was captain of the girls’ varsity crew team, a Proctor, and President of the Student Council. She is now a freshman at University of Miami where she is a D1 coxswain.