At just four years old, Jayden Chen was faced with a difficult choice: deciding which sport he would choose—swimming or soccer. Chen’s decision was made for him as he lived in Singapore at the time. Hoping to avoid the oppressive heat of South East Asia, he decided to stay in the pool. Now, as a junior captain, Chen brings over a decade of experience to the team.
During his freshman and sophomore years on the swim team, Chen bonded with upperclassmen, particularly inspired by the leadership skills of Warren Kozak (‘23), a captain he admired as a freshman.
“I ran because I believed that I could bring something to the team that would make swimming a better experience for all,” Chen said.
Chen’s goal is to build team culture both in and out of the pool. He collaborates with the fellow junior captains, Aien Du and Joe Dalicandro, to organize various activities that foster team bonding and collaboration. Together, the captains have organized “Friendsgiving” hangouts, lunches at the Waffle Bus and “fun Friday” practices during break.
Chen moved around frequently due to his father’s job. While competing for clubs in Singapore, England and Houston, Chen learned to balance his schoolwork with the demands of competitive swimming. Even after becoming a junior captain, Chen felt that the time commitment did not extend too far outside of practice.
“I spend about two to three hours on captain’s duties per week,” Chen said. “But being a captain is more about being present in the pool and encouraging my teammates.”
Similarly, Kiran Rio, who was a volleyball captain this fall, felt that the transition from sophomore starter to junior captain did not significantly affect her workload. She is one of six junior captains, along with swim and dive captains Jayden Chen, Joe Dalicandro and Aien Du; basketball captain Valentina Doss and cross country captain Lee Monistere.
“Except for SPC, the time commitment wasn’t very different because I’ve always put a lot of energy and work into my sport,” Rio said.
Along with senior captains Daniela Laing and Warner Stahlbaum, Rio led the team into SPC having never lost a single set. While encouraging and supporting her teammates, she also tried to respect her co-captains’ desires.
“I wanted to let them have their moments because I knew it was their last year on the team,” she said. “So sometimes I took a step back and let them handle more because I wanted them to have their full captain experience.”
Junior captain Valentina Doss also manages responsibilities and expectations with fellow senior basketball captain Avery Peakes. The two have a tight-knit relationship, as Doss believes that seeking connection is one of the most important responsibilities of a junior captain.
“Captains should be able to comfort people during the highs and lows,” Doss said. “They should know what to say to people when they’re having a difficult time and know how to congratulate them during their best moments.”
Juniors make up a majority of the basketball team. While Doss is friends with all her fellow juniors, she also focuses on fulfilling the role of a leader.
“I try to balance when I should be a friend and when I should be a captain,” Doss said.
Senior Harper Rhee, who was a lacrosse captain her junior year, learned to balance her ambition with respect when leading the team.
“It’s important to make sure you are respectful to the people who are older than you, but you also have to step up into a leadership position,” Rhee said.
Rhee began playing lacrosse in third grade through a SwizzleSticks team. As a junior captain, she fostered team spirit by designing sweatshirts and posters, planning team events and delivering game plans. For her senior year, Rhee decided to run for captain again in both lacrosse and soccer.
“Being a junior captain was helpful because now I feel like I have the experience to make a better season out of this year,” Rhee said. “But my biggest challenge was feeling like I had to prove myself to people, especially those older than me.”
But for a past junior captain who prefers to remain anonymous, external pressures proved challenging. Although seniors, including other captains, were supportive and treated her as an equal, teammates in her own grade did not always respect her authority.
“The people running for captain were super competitive because everyone knew there were limited spots,” she said. “A lot of people were bringing others down to lift themselves up.”
After encouragement from her coaches, she chose to run for captain in sophomore year only a week before voting. She fostered genuine relationships with her teammates over the season, rather than connecting with teammates solely to earn their votes.
“The people who only see captain as a box to check on their application should not be in that position,” she said. “Their main motivation should be the passion that they have for the sport and their desire to make an impact on the people they’re leading.”
