Charlotte Slayton ’27
Contributor
Varsity Tryouts During Finals Week

As we have recently dealt with fall finals and a new sports season rolls around, one must wonder why student-athletes must face the challenge of balancing studying hard for their finals and performing their best in tryouts. I often hear about struggles finding time to study, especially when tryouts have been scheduled at various times, occasionally even during study hall. This is unfair to student-athletes, as they have to balance two very stressful events, instilling immense pressure on them all in one week.

Ms. Cabot, the Athletic Director, says, “The reason why we do this is because we want to get the season started as soon as possible.” Varsity sports, unlike JV and Thirds, have games very early in the season, and they want to prolong the season and get as many practices and games in as they possibly can.

Ms Cabot also stated that next year’s tryouts won’t be during finals, not due to the difficulties for students but because of the calendar. “No complaints about tryouts during finals have been brought to me,” she stated, going on to explain how she believes getting exercise during finals is beneficial and can help you stay focused, as you are getting a lot of energy out, allowing you to study more calmly and efficiently. While I agree exercising is beneficial for studying, these two stressful events shouldn’t coincide on the same week, as it can be too much for many people, especially freshmen and new sophomores, who are having their first week of finals simultaneously with varsity tryouts.

However, some varsity athletes don’t quite agree. According to Varsity Girls Squash player Nagima Williams ’25, “I thought at first having tryouts and finals during the same week was going to be difficult, and it was to some extent, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I was stressed at some points, though, for sure.” Additionally, Varsity Girls Hockey player Elle Pagliaro ‘26 said, “I think it was a little bit stressful having to go right out on the ice after having a long day of classes and studying, but for the most part, it’s manageable if you can manage your time well and be organized.” Lastly, Lisa Pang ‘27, a Girls Varsity Squash player, stated, “I felt like practice took up a lot of review times, so it does depend on the student to figure when it is time to study, train, and play.”

Overall, it seems as though students managed to make it through having tryouts and finals at the same time, there is no doubt that it was very stressful at times. While learning to manage your time is crucial for success, the sheer amount of overlapping in events can be overwhelming for Loomis athletes and requires some kind of amelioration.