High school student Lydia Carr ’22 is unique when it comes to athletics at the high school. Carr is a three-season athlete: she plays soccer in the fall, skies in the winter, and plays lacrosse in the spring — all at the varsity level.
Lydia not only strives for excellence on the field but for excellence in the classroom as well. Lydia says keeping up to date with school work is one of her motivators to keep playing, as she has always prioritized getting good grades over being a three-season athlete.
“Having sports has helped me stay focused on my school work because a balance between the two is super important. I always have prioritized school over sports. Maintaining good grades so that I can keep playing sports keeps me focused as a student,” said Carr.
In order to participate in three sports seasons, Carr said that maintaining high academic and athletic performance requires both a strong will and work ethic.
“Training and preparing for each sport differs from the others. However, training for soccer is the most difficult because I am coming from the summer. With lacrosse, I’ve already had two seasons of preparation. A lot of the conditioning for skiing overlaps with both soccer and lacrosse conditioning, as it targets the same muscle groups,” said Carr.
As of now, Lydia is playing soccer for the varsity team and is looking to repeat her previous successes, as a leader of the team. Lydia’s work ethic is unmatched as she transitions from sport to sport.
Mr. Roger Bothe, coach of the girls’ soccer team has seen how Lydia’s work ethic has translated over.
“Lydia has an inner desire to succeed as well as an unwavering commitment to excellence. She gains intangible skills that translate among the three sports. Lydia is a fierce competitor. She is a dominant skier, and she plays vital roles in both the soccer and lacrosse squads. It’s an honor to coach her,” said Bothe.
Lydia is not only a leader on the field.. Over the summer Lydia and her brother were able to raise money for the Pan-Mass Challenge, an organization that works hand and hand with the Dana-Farber Cancer Insititute.
“She is a top-level human, in terms of her empathy and altruistic pursuits,” said Bothe.
When playing three seasons it is not only important to be in physical shape, but to be in good mental shape. Lydia says that playing soccer in the fall is the best way to prepare for soccer and skiing as the strategy involved, and the team play benefits her as an athlete. Additionally, there are physical benefits and mental benefits to her playing three seasons, as training for each sport helps her condition and prepare for the next.
“The training is very similar to lacrosse, as the fitness and conditioning are very important for each, while strategy and having a deep understanding of the game is crucial as well,” said Carr.
Carr is undecided about where she is going to play in college but is certain she is going to play. Carr said that being a three-season athlete helps with the preparation for college as athletics in college would be all year round. She says her experience with a variety of sports helps with her decision to continue playing after high school.
“Playing three seasons definitely helps with the decision and preparation to play in college because the variety of sports makes it clear which one is your favorite and which you’d be successful playing in college.”
While committing to three different sports may seem like a daunting task, Carr said that being a three-sport athlete is actually a great experience.
“I would definitely recommend being a multi-sport athlete because having a variety of sports is so much fun and when one season ends, you always have something to look forward to next season. It also allows you to meet so many new people and form relationships with an entirely new group of people each season,” said Carr.