As student-athletes who only spend one year at Deerfield and have already graduated from high school, PGs have unique experiences as they strive to further sharpen their athletic prowess. But what are the PGs up to outside of classes when their main sport is not in season?
On top of training for the upcoming lacrosse season, PG Watt Muir ’24 has decided to play on the Boys Thirds Squash Team this winter term to try a new experience and hone his hand-eye coordination for Lacrosse. Muir primarily wanted to play squash this term both because it was a new experience made available to him by coming to Deerfield, Muir said that because he had heard that “squash was good for footwork, … change of direction and general hand eye coordination.” This would allow him to further refine his lacrosse skills in a unique way. Through this experience, Muir has, “learned a lot about [himself]” and about the wider Deerfield community. He also stated that he has learned about “the cultures that Deerfield sports have, even when [they] are only thirds sports.”
A dedicated artist as well as a student athlete, lacrosse PG Noah Prissert ’24 is participating in the art co-curricular this term. He is working to continue his work that he started during the art co-curricular in the fall term. He is primarily focussing on 2-D art and uses a variety of mediums to create. However, Prissert is no stranger to art; when he is home, he frequently enjoys creating ceramic pieces. Prissert stated that he “[loves] his co-curric because Mrs. Taylor gives [him] a lot of freedom on what [he] creates.” With this creative freedom, he likes to draw shark teeth because they are “from Florida” and they are “one of the few memorabilia from home” that he brought with him to Deerfield.
The two PGs expressed that even though many members of the lacrosse team are participating in a wide range of different co-curricular activities, they still make a huge effort to practice and get work in together, as a team, whenever possible. When asked about their motivations for training for lacrosse this offseason, Muir cited his “team first” mentality, not only for the friendships it has brought him, but also because, “we absolutely have the pieces to make things happen this spring.” Prissert expressed similar sentiments and talked about a conversation he had with his teammate Quinn Stankovits ’24, where they talked about both the great bond of the team and their collective potential.
As for their goals for the rest of their time at Deerfield, Prissert is looking forward to continue creating art, building strong friendships in the community, and being able to practice outdoors again with the whole team once the lacrosse season starts in the spring. Muir expressed that he wants to continue to “learn from the incredible teachers and coaches that we have here.” However, another goal he is determined to accomplish is to finally defeat his squash rival, “a twelve-year-old from Eaglebrook,” calling him a “big competitor,” with “a lot of skill.”