by Aaron Rubenstein 

It’s a well-known fact that Innovation Academy doesn’t offer any traditional team sports, and yet there is a multiplicity of students who attend that are athletes. Many juggle their time between school and sports, not to mention leisure, all to differing lengths. But, among these athletes are some commonalities. 

For one, student athletes that attend IA must be in teams unaffiliated with the school. Because of this, long commutes and an unfamiliarity with teammates can lead to alienating some from their relationships, in school or in their area of sports. However, the tradeoff seems to be overall worth it. Here is what Jordyn Plant, a competitive swimmer and Innovation student, has to say about it: 
 

“For me, academics have always come before athletics . . . because I feel like school and getting my education is a little more important than doing a sport that I enjoy. . . . The workload here is a lot, so I have to find time to do my work, but mostly its my sleep . . . The hardship is just maintaining my grades.” 

For students like Jordyn, it can be hard to get everything done that they need to for both school and the sport that they’re committed to. Many student athletes have expressed the sensation of almost having two families, or a dual life that they must attend to. This can be difficult to juggle, especially with those who take academically demanding courses, but many have spoken up to a certain desire of reform in the school’s way of handling these students. Evan Thomas DiCaprio, a dedicated varsity hockey player for Milton High School attending IA, has this to say: 

“We should just have a little more slack. Like, this school’s all uptight about sports . . . It might be fun to have Varsity jackets around here, [be]cause I’ve been playing Varsity hockey for four years now. I can’t get a Varsity jacket by this point because I can’t get one from Milton.” 

Many student athletes voice their desire for more accommodations, such as allowing students to be exempt from their virtual period given it is their eighth period, and to move it on their schedule if it isn’t. This grants these students more flexibility with their time and the ability to better manage their ‘dual life’ of academics and competitive sports. 

Baseball player Eli Marks has this interesting advice on grappling with the social tolls of being an athlete at Innovation: 

“Even though they tell you that you’re a nerd for being athletic, they’re wrong because they suck [at the given sport].” 

Many rising Freshmen of the class of 2025 have reasonable concerns pertaining to how their sport can fit into their school life. Luckily, these students already have taken the risk and now have experience to speak with to these soon-to-be freshmen.  

Jordyn Plant (Swim) 

Evan Thomas DiCaprio (Hockey and Baseball) 

Eli Marks (Baseball and Track) 

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