By Victoria Walker
Staff Writer
With spring approaching quickly and in the midst of schedule-planning, students at WA may find themselves conflicted about what activities they will be able to fit into their schedule. They may think that they have to limit themselves to a sport, a student council position or a club in order to succeed in school. To see the faults in this assumption, one only has to meet Taylor Freud, a WA senior who has spent high school balancing and succeeding at multiple activities.
“I’m just trying to be the best person I can be,” said Freud.
A tri-season varsity athlete and captain, Freud plays five different sports. She began lacrosse in third grade, field hockey in sixth grade and cross country skiing in ninth grade, and also plays recreational basketball and alpine skis.
In her junior year Freud was voted captain of both the Girls’ Field Hockey Team and the Girls’ Lacrosse Team, becoming the first junior captain of the Field Hockey Team. Her senior year she was chosen as captain of Cross Country Ski Team. Freud is honored to have her teammates’ vote for her as their representative.
“I felt good about myself that my team voted me to represent them, and for field hockey I think I was the first junior captain ever and that was pretty cool since my coach had been here for so long,” said Freud.
Freud’s field hockey coach, Raeann Gembis, believes Freud was a good choice for captain, even as a junior.
“Taylor is just a natural born leader and an athlete,” she said. “From the moment she was a part of our team, you could see her genuine commitment, character and the strong respect her teammates had for her. She was the first elected junior captain in the program during my 12 seasons at WA,” said Gembis.
The Girls’ Lacrosse Coach, Julie Olivier, agrees on this point as it applies to her own team.
“Everyone looks up to Taylor as a role model – even the coaches,” Olivier said. “Taylor is a total team player – a leader, a competitor, a friend to her teammates. She is a role model on and off the field. She is the special ingredient in team chemistry that makes a team meet challenges, win big games, adjust momentum, and come back when behind to win.”
Freud said that while all the work that goes into being a multi-season captain can sometimes be challenging, it is worth the effort.
“It is [difficult], but I wouldn’t really want it any other way,” said Freud. “I feel like I am just naturally a leader and I feel like I’m in charge of my team, so even if I wasn’t a captain I would feel as dedicated and put as much time and effort into my team.”
Freud’s dedication to athletics has not gone unnoticed. She applied for and was accepted into the U.S. Lacrosse All Academic Team, which required combined commitment and success in athletics and academic excellence. Furthermore she has earned two Dual County League All Star awards. On top of all this Freud was chosen as the Most Valuable Player of the Cross Country Ski Team both her junior and senior year.
Beyond her extensive athletic achievements, Freud participates in a number of school activities, including the Student Council, Peer Counseling, DECA and National Honor Society.
Last year, Freud’s wide based dedication earned her the title of Most Worthy Representative of the junior class.
“I thought that was really kind of descriptive of what I wanted to be,” Freud said. “I wanted to represent our class in all facets and just be the best person I could be and I felt like that award really proved what I could do.”
In regard to all of her time commitments, Freud says that while it can be stressful trying to balance everything when a lot of things are going on, her tight schedule forces her to get important things done, and has improved her time management skills.
“I actually think one of the best things is time management,” said Freud, who went on to say that having limited time often forces her to get things done in a timely manner.
After graduating from WA, Freud will be attending Franklin and Marshall College, where she will be playing Division 3 lacrosse. Continuing athletics in college has been a goal of hers for a while.
“That really has been my goal for basically all of high school, but I think that my goals for the future are… probably just go and become the best player I can be and take advantage of college as I have taken advantage of all of my opportunities at WA,” she said.
Oliver does not find it surprising that Freud made the college team, and says that she is a “standout” in a tough league.
“Taylor was one of my youth players, starting at grade 3,” Olivier said. “I remember telling her parents, ‘Be ready, this girls is going to play in college!’”
With the winter sports season wrapping up, Freud will soon be starting up spring lacrosse for the last season in her high school career.
