Erin Gao, sophomore

Q: What’s the most difficult part about playing 2 sports in 1 season? Does it affect your athletic performance?

A: The most difficult part is having to communicate with two coaches. My track coach is definitely okay with it. He supports it but it’s a little bit of a struggle because I have to be there at practice to get my credits.

If I don’t juggle my time well enough, I could burn myself out easily. Both track and swimming are more labor intensive sports.

Q: Why did you choose to pursue both, swimming and track?

A: I’ve been swimming for a really long time and I made varsity last year. This year, over the summer, I decided to try cross country because I thought it might be something I’d like, and I really did enjoy it. Cross-country and track are really similar, and they share the same coaches. I really wanted to do track and I signed up for it. However, I’ve been swimming for so long and I made varsity last year – I went to CCS – so if I dropped it all of a sudden, it’d be like losing a huge chunk of what used to be there. So I thought that if I can do two sports, I’d go for it because they both make me happy.

Q: What’s your favorite part about track? Swimming?

A: For track, it’s the environment. The people there are all really nice and they are so welcoming. It is such a nice place to be and it has really helped me relax too.

For swimming, it’s definitely the people. I used to like the sport a lot but I came to realize that sometimes it just gets a little tiring. It’s all about you as an individual and your mental strength. You have to push yourself to go for it. But when you compete, although there’s pressure, you have a lot of fun because all your friends are there and you can socialize. It feels really great when all that month’s worth of training pushes you to swim at your best time.

Q: How do you carve out time for you family?

A: My dad is a really athletic person, so we have a lot to talk about. My mom comes home when I get home from practice, so we talk over dinner-time. My sister swims too, so I’d say we have established a closer connection.

Q: What advice do you have for students interested in playing 2 sports in 1 season?

A: Decide if you want to dedicate yourself to two sports first because it was an extremely hard decision for me to make. I knew that I’d be potentially jeopardizing my performance in both, sports and my grades. I didn’t want to put my grades in any kind of danger. But if pursuing those sports is really your passion, you can pull it off; definitely go for it. You’re also going to make a lot more friends.