Having no time for homework from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. the whole school year might sound daunting for some, but for Menlo’s three-sport athletes, it’s a reality.
For senior Tyler Fernandez, who plays football, basketball and lacrosse, his Menlo sports year starts in June with football summer training. “I only have two weeks before football starts up again [after the lacrosse season],” Fernandez said.
For sophomore Ava Allen, who plays flag football, basketball and baseball, her summer begins with club softball and ends with a pre-season camp in August for flag football.
Senior Ellie Knoll’s calendar begins similarly, with club lacrosse in the summer, flag football in the fall, Menlo soccer in the winter and Menlo lacrosse in the spring.
A challenge for these athletes is the overlap of seasons between the three sports. Knoll said she had trouble when she missed the first two weeks of lacrosse her freshman year to finish her JV soccer season. “I didn’t know how to communicate [to my coach] that I wanted to try out for varsity, but I was also playing soccer,” Knoll said. Similarly, Fernandez, coming in late from football, has to miss a few preseason basketball games every year.
These three-sport athletes have said that it’s hard to find time to keep their skills strong for their other sports when they’re not in season. Allen’s club sport, softball, takes up a majority of her schedule. However, Allen tries to fit in training sessions for her other sports wherever she can. “I try to practice [every sport] at least once a week even if it’s after another [sports practice],” Allen said.
Fernandez uses any free time to practice his other sport, often combining practices with social time. “I’ll go out on weekends and play with my friends,” Fernandez said. “A lot of the time, we play pickup basketball during football or lacrosse [season].”
Even though overlapping seasons can make the transition between sports a bit difficult, Knoll said she does not have trouble with the shift in necessary skills. “The sport I play during [each season] keeps my stamina up and other athletic capabilities […] so it’s easy when I shift sports,” Knoll said.
From playing on three different Menlo sports teams, Allen has found that each sport offers something different. “Flag football has so many different girls, basketball is a really close group, and baseball is such a different community, but I have fun at all of them,” Allen said.
Fernandez also appreciates how he has been able to meet so many different people playing three sports, especially upperclassmen who he wouldn’t have interacted with otherwise. “As an underclassman, you get to meet so many people,” Fernandez said. “I’m really lucky to have met a lot of people who have now graduated.”
To Knoll, the team is what makes her sports enticing. “I love every team I am on.,” she said. “The people make it so fun.”
