What does it mean to be a leader?
Every year for each Galloway sport, one or two students are chosen as the captains. It’s their responsibility to work as extensions of the coaches and help lead their teammates to success. This year, the class of 2026 and 2027 fill the roles of team captains and I thought it would be insightful to interview captains from different sports and see what it means to be a leader, in their words. I put together 3 questions for our captains: What does leadership mean to you, on and off the field (pitch, etc.)? What's the hardest part about being a captain that people don’t usually see? And lastly, what advice would you give to younger athletes who want to be leaders someday?
Starting off with the fall sports, I interviewed Cal Kastner (‘27). She made the Varsity Volleyball team her freshman year, and this year she co-captained the team with Adair Carlin (‘26). Leadership, in her words, “is just being someone your teammates can actually come to, whether that’s for support or to handle something they don’t want to deal with alone.” Having a familiar face to turn to in times of need is always nice to have, whether it's on the court or in the hallways. Following that, she shared what she thinks the hardest part of being captain is: “holding your teammates accountable while still being close with them, even when it’s uncomfortable.” Walking the thin line between classmate and captain is a tight-rope; it can be really difficult to maintain those boundaries. Lastly, she shares some advice, “Watch people lead before you try to do it yourself, because you’ll pick up just as much from their mistakes as anything else.” Cal can’t wait for her senior year as she leads as captain again, learning from this school year and making adjustments as needed.
The winter sports consist of swim and both boys and girls basketball. Taryn Thompson (‘26) led the girls basketball team to the Elite 8 this year after four years on Varsity and her recent commitment to Gardner-Webb for basketball. She shared her definition of leadership: “[leadership] means holding myself and others accountable, being there for my teammates to help them through tough moments, and doing whatever I need to do for the benefit of my team.” She commented how the hardest part of being captain was “having to be very selfless and get through your own struggles while keeping everyone else on track, also as having to sometimes be harsh in situations.” Her piece of advice is to “be the leader that you would want to follow.”
Lastly, we have the spring sports with boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis, ultimate frisbee, baseball, golf, and track and field. Galloway athletes are very busy in the spring! I spoke with Quincy Hallowell (‘27) in the middle of his first season as captain of the Varsity Soccer team. He says that, “leadership is being someone who always shows up for their teammates, leads by example, isn’t afraid to make mistakes, and is ready to learn and become better.” Even though it is his first year, he has shown great qualities on and off the field, and the boys have nothing but praises for Quincy. The hardest part for Hallowell is “trying to motivate others when you may struggle to motivate yourself at the same time.” And lastly, despite being new to the position, his advice is to “just be consistent and focused no matter what is going on around you.”
All these athletes offered different and insightful perspectives. Next year, it will be interesting to see who steps up into these big shoes to fill!