Senior Colleen Ellis has spent the last four years of her life putting her entire being into sports at WA. From field hockey to ice hockey, all the way up to lacrosse, she has spent hours perfecting her craft and being the best player she could.

“I don’t know who I would even be without sports,” Ellis said.

This wasn’t always the case for Ellis however, who, freshman year, was struggling with success in all of the three sports she plays and was considering quitting.

“I’m really glad that I did [stick with sports],” Ellis said

Ellis has held captain positions in both hockey and field hockey, so she has learned quite a bit about sports and life in general from her experiences in high school.

“The big thing that sports have taught me is time management, she said, “Also, having that atmosphere with different people […] and getting close with different kinds of people definitely helped me.”

Time management has taken a front seat throughout Ellis’s high school life, as she had to balance three sports with a heavy course load. As she moves onto college at Merrimack College, Ellis offers time management advice to students who face the same challenges as her at WA.

“It’s definitely difficult at first because everyone is different and everyone has to find their own pattern. But once you do and you kind of get into a routine […] and stick to it,” Ellis said.

Ellis notes that while teachers are sympathetic to the challenges of student athletes, that they stress the importance and priority of school regardless of any student’s situation outside of class.

“They know that school has to come first and they know that I have to put that first, so that’s what they expect,” Ellis said.

Ellis has found out that she will actually have an expanded amount of free time in college as compared to that of her free time in high school. She has worked with the staff at Merrimack to recognize this difference and has prepared to hone her skills from getting things done quickly, to having more time to complete assignments.

“I have to flip flop how I’ve always had my routine,” she said.

As it pertains to career, Ellis is heading into a health sciences program at Merrimack, with her ultimate goal lying in something related to athletics, most likely physical therapy or athletic training. Her interest mainly sparked from her time spent in the training room at WA.

Ellis leaves on a wise note, advising student athletes how to handle their sports in the coming years.

“If you’re not enjoying it and you’re struggling with it, then it probably isn’t for you. There’s gonna be times where it’s hard […] but in general [sports are] going to be worth it,” Ellis said.