Nothing quite matches the knee-shaking nervousness junior athletes feel sitting at the End-of-the-Year Banquet awaiting the announcement of next season’s captains. After votes from returning team members and deliberation from coaches, rising seniors will finally be put at ease as the news is revealed.

Team captains hold a very special place and take on many new responsibilities. It is a large commitment with both time and effort to any Staples team. “I’m gonna have a lot more responsibilities, both on and off the field, but they’ll be more than worth it,” future boys’ soccer captain Kenji Goto ’16 said. “Knowing that the team trusts me to lead them gives me a lot of confidence and makes the experience even more enjoyable.”

After years of playing and being dedicated to the team, announcement of captains at the End-of-the-Year Banquet was a memorable moment for Ben Thaw ’16. “I was really happy because I’ve wanted to be captain since I was a little kid,” football captain Thaw said.

The leadership role of a captain requires them to steer the team in the right direction and ultimately put them on the path to success.
“We’re hoping to become FCIAC and state champions,” track captain James Lewis ’16 said. “We’re in a good position for next season.”

Working from the examples set by previous captains, the rising seniors are starting to think and strategize how to achieve the teams’ goals next season. “The captains we had for the 2014 year were outstanding, and it is going to be difficult measuring up to them,” girls’ soccer captain Elizabeth Mitas ’16 said.

Even with the start of the season months away, the newly-selected captains are eagerly awaiting their chance to lead their team to success. Jordan Ragland ’16, a girls’ field hockey captain cannot wait to reunite her team in the fall. “Last year we had a really strong team, and this year we are hoping to come out just as pumped,” Ragland said.

“One of the reasons we were able to do as well as we did this year was because all the underclassmen wanted to win for the seniors,” Goto said. “I want to make sure the same thing happens next year. With this group’s talent combined with that chemistry, we can achieve the ultimate goal of an FCIAC and state championship.”