Playing sports with no consequences… running around aimlessly… continually being told by parents that as long as you try your best that is all that counts. After learning fundamentals on JV, varsity players at RHS must always play to win. All varsity players have to survive athletic stress, but female and male athletes are stressed for different reasons.

“Taking three AP classes and participating in the RHS Pompons squad is not an easy balance,” said junior dancer Miriam Kahn. The squad is expected to smile at every performance, not show the slightest sign of stress or frustration. Kahn comes home from school everyday, completes part of her homework and realizes it is already time for practice. “It is not easy to keep a smile on my face during competitions when I know a huge paper is imminently due,” said Kahn.

Sophomore swimmer Robel Yared copes with different types of stress when participating on the swim team at RHS. Yared is enrolled in the Pre-IB program and has at least three hours of homework a night. He also participates in a swim team for the Rockville Montgomery Swim Club. “I often feel that people expect more of me because I am a male. I always want to swim my best but it is never easy,” said Yared.

Being a captain for three varsity sports is a huge commitment. Senior Mary Gorman, co- captain for lacrosse, basketball and soccer must excel in her classes and remain eligible because she has to represent all three of these teams during their respective seasons. “I am constantly pressured to be a leader by getting good grades and playing well in all of the games I participate in,” said Gorman.

Building a varsity team with merely sophomores and juniors is not an easy task. Sophomore Simon Milberg is one of the guinea pigs to experience being on a varsity team with few senior leaders. “It is so difficult to have a coach who coaches us at a college level and have few players who have had three years of high school experience,” said Milberg.

Varsity boys’ basketball players have a huge crowd watching them with the expectation that they will win. The varsity Pompon squad must always be peppy and spirited even if the football team is losing an easy game.

Male athletes are expected to have more strength than girls and are currently being coached in a college-like fashion. However, female athletes deal with the stress centering on doing well in school and showing the opposite sex that even if they do not have bigger muscles, they can still put up a good fight. Either way, both genders are held infinitely accountable to overcome their never-ending stress while they participate in athletic activities.