What does the role of captain mean to WHS?

By Gabriella Szwed and Vanessa Venditti

In sports teams, captain is a title given to a team member. The title is considered honorary, but in many cases, the team's captain holds significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork on and off the field. 

Leadership, positivity, and responsibility are just a few of the meanings behind wearing the armband; being selected to wear that armband is a whole meaning in itself. 

At WHS, each captain may have a different definition of why they wear this title proudly on their arm, but all passionately play their sport to win. 

When senior captain Bella Tomaino was asked what being captain means to her, she said, “Showing up on time every day, being someone to look up to but also putting all the setbacks in my own life aside for the good of the group.” 

WHS senior football captain Evan Christian talks about his ideas going forward with the football team and how he has contributed to the sport to make the varsity sport a comforting and safe environment for all of the athletes on the team.

"Demolish, destroy, and demoralize" are the three words Evan says the team goes by. Being at least ten minutes early to practice every day is crucial to being captain. Additionally, Evan attends captains' meetings at least once a week after their hard-working practices. "My three captains and I talk with our coaches on how we can improve together. I then go and try to spread this energy around to my teammates," Christian said.

Athletic Director Mr. Maltese has watched many athletes playing a varsity sport establish a name for themselves. He speaks of captains he has witnessed grow and what many continue to do for the athletic program here at WHS. "Usually, [captains are] seniors or upperclassmen that I can go to and use to help communicate things, help spread word within the program, as well as using them as contributors for things to run smoothly."

Captain holds an honorary title at Wethersfield High School, meaning that these varsity student-athletes go above and beyond to ensure that their teams can be successful. At the end of each season, these captains will have made an extraordinary impact on all their teammates, changing them for the better. 

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