Exeter offers many sports to help keep students active during their five weeks of Summer School. There are many diverse sports that allow the students to build friendships, use teamwork, and try new things. Some Exonians come to Exeter signed up for a sport that they already love and play back at home, while others try a sport that is completely new.
Lily Schneider, 15, has been running ever since she was a little girl. She runs cross-country for her school in Florida, and ran at Exeter for the first session.
“I love my cross country team,” Lily said. “I really like making new friends and learning their running techniques and goals, because it’s really cool to meet runners from around the world.”
Although Lily is a long-time runner, she will be trying a completely new sport, crew, for the second session and can’t wait to see what it has in store.
Christina Carbonell, 15, from Puerto Rico, decided to try squash for the first time at Exeter. “I like how there are a variety of games for practicing shots. Sometimes we get to play against competitive squash players which is really cool,” said Christina.
Tyler Weisburg, 13, from Hong Kong, also plays squash at Exeter and has been playing at home for four years.
“I like that I get to meet new people,” he said. “I play for the Hong Kong street team. The coach here at Exeter is good at explaining the game to beginners, and I’m glad that I get to play with another competitive squash player on the team.”
Tyler Cross, 15, from Japan, has been playing soccer for eight years and is part of the five-week soccer program, Seacoast United. “It’s intense so it works on your skills,” Tyler explained. “Our team works well together and it’s enjoyable. Everyone’s nice and it’s easy to make friends.”
Anna Harmon, 16, from New Hampshire is one of two girls on the Seacoast United team. “I like it because it’s better than my high school soccer, and people take it more seriously. There’s more diversity, and I know a lot more soccer players from different countries now.”
Billy Moore, 15, from Washington DC, has been a basketball player for nine years and decided to continue playing at Exeter.
“I love the competition,” Billy said. “We’re a good group of guys and we work well together.” After being asked about a memorable time in basketball so far, he explained, “We beat the number one seat by 23, and it felt really good.”
Sixteen-year-old Ned Camel does swimming at Exeter, although his main sport is water polo, which he plays for his school in Connecticut.
“It’s great training for water polo back at home. It’s a lot of fun and there are a bunch of great guys. The coach is really nice and a good guy. I like pull, which is training for your arms, and relays.”
Whether the Summer Exonians are beginner athletes or advanced athletes, it is clear that most people had a great first session of sports and that they can’t wait to continue with or start a new sport for the second half.