Jack Foster ‘26 was the quarterback and defensive back for the SeaWolves football team this year. When he was a freshman, he was walking down the stairs to the BHS fields when upperclassmen Sidiki Sylla yelled at him “Get off the stairs! Get off the stairs!”
“I was really confused until he told me the story about walking down ‘the athlete’s way,’” Foster said.
The ‘athletes way’ was a past tradition where BHS athletes would take the path to the left as you enter the athletics complex rather than the stairs.
“This tradition and community that I felt when he said that to me, how these traditions are brought down from community to community, was very special.”
Student athletes often cite things like community, teamwork and self-discipline as reasons to play high school sports. But is it worth it?
Athletes spend a lot of time preparing, practicing, traveling and playing in games. A typical high school football season lasts around 14 weeks including preseason and playoffs. With practices averaging around 20 total hours per week, a student athlete could spend close to 1,120 hours with practice alone. In four years, it’s likely Foster spent the equivalent of nearly 250 eight hour days on the sport.
Gus Barkyoumb ‘26 has played baseball at BHS for the last four years.
“Sometimes you get home from practice or a game really late at night, especially if it’s far away, St. Johnsbury or something, then you’re back at 9:30 and you have a test the next day. It’s difficult to be prepared for all of those things at once,” Barkyoumb said.
Cagney Brigham not only coaches baseball at BHS, but is also a Student Support Specialist. He can see how students are impacted by pressures on and off the field. Cagney has a policy with the baseball team where if you’re not passing a class, you can’t play.
He’s had to exercise the policy this year with a player. He met with the student and their teacher to help the student succeed.
“I think it’s just buckling down in class,” Cagney said. “Finding those small pockets of time to do any work possible.”
BSD Athletic Director Quaron Pickney said that many students find it difficult to balance athletics and academics. Pickney implemented the “blue form” policy where all BHS student-athletes have to get signatures from their teachers every week in order to play.
Pickney says While some students find the policy “unnecessary”, Pickney said that it helps students.
“It helps with all the different types of qualities that colleges are looking for,” Pickney said. “Learning those time management skills, showing colleges and the workforce that you can juggle multiple things and still be highly effective and efficient.” Pickney said.
Livia Jatlow-Carter ‘27 plays lacrosse and golf. Despite the challenges, she said she would definitely play sports at BHS again.
“I think it makes you more social off the field and I feel like it’s just made me more well-rounded.” Jatlow-Carter said.
Foster agrees.
“Oh, for sure, no doubt, I don’t think that’s ever a question in my mind whether I would or not,” Foster said. “I really hope that more people are trying sports, and the community that it builds is super important.”
Barkyoumb said if he could, he would actually choose to play more sports in high school.
“It’s really important to be one of those people who can go from one thing to the next thing quickly and transition,” Barkyoumb said. “Going from work to school to everything, especially in the next four years, going to college, you have to be prepared for everything.”
