Exeter Summer School offers a wide variety of sports in its 5 weeks in session, where many decide whether to try a new sport, or continue on with the sport they play in their home state or country.
Now, with the summer session ending, many look back on sports as one of their biggest highlights in school. Some made new friends, and experienced new sports that they never tried, while some strove to perfect a sport while still making friends along the way.
The sports range from team sports, such as soccer, basketball, lacrosse, squash, and others, to sports that are for individual improvement, such as swimming or walking. For many during these five weeks, it was a challenge choosing which sport they should do.
Some are motivated by a desire to best close relatives or friends who are rivals at home. When asked what led to his choosing of tennis as his sport, Gianni Torti replied that “I got inspired by my cousin because he plays tennis, and so I want to get as good as him to compete with him.”
When asked about what classes he would recommend, Coach James Tufts replied that “I recommend all the classes!” He stated that the teachers for each respective sport “are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their classes,” and noted that every class “is a great learning experience.”
But many students had their favorites. When asked what his choice was, Alexandros Michaelides said “Squash, because it was the most fun, and I got to meet a lot of new people and make new friends.”
However, when Tufts was asked which sport was the most popular, he said:“The most popular sport is probably soccer. There are 65 students in the SUSC program and another 40 in the PE soccer program, plus almost 30 in the ACCESS. So that is 130 students playing soccer each day.”
He also stated that “Weight training and tennis are very popular as well”.
When asked about the least popular sports, Tufts responded that “Diamond Sports and Recreational Games had a very low sign-up so we didn’t teach those classes. The smallest classes are Golf and Walking.”
The sports program ends today, two days before everyone heads home Saturday.