Thirty-one sports are offered to Lane students, each containing student athletes that are united by their passion for their sport. Amid the athletes are a few outstanding players that are given the particularly respectable title of team captain. 

The title of captain is given to athletes that the coaches believe will be a good fit for the leading role. Head coach of the Girls Varsity Soccer team, Ms. Vale, knows which qualities she desires her captains to possess and what she expects out of them.

“My captains are the ones that I entrust to light a fire in their teammates when I can’t be on the field with them,” Vale said. “My captains are the ones that I know will be my example. They are the ones that will step up and be the first one in the line to do the activity, but they are also the ones at the end of line pushing their teammates to move forward.”

According to Vale, captains are also expected to start and lead practices, strategize for games, communicate information between coaches and players and boost their fellow teammates’ morale.

Lexi Wright, Div. 950, has been on the swim team since her freshman year and is now one of the senior captains on the varsity swim team.

“Being a captain means being a good role model in and out of the [sport],” Wright said. “We take care of gear, team bonding, and are someone for the rest of the team to go to when they need someone.”

Most of the teams at Lane have more than one captain. These captains are expected to work together to improve the team’s dynamic.

Tyreece Morgan, Div. 954, has been a member of the football team since freshman year and is currently one of four captains on the varsity football team. Even though he was a captain of the junior varsity team his sophomore year, being nominated as captain for the varsity team surprised him. Nonetheless, he said that the faith from his teammates fueled his ability to be captain.

According to Morgan, the captains of the football team work together, but during practice one of the captains leads the linemen, one leads the running back core and the two captain leads the defensive backs and wide receivers.

Even though only a couple of people are actually given the title of captain, Vale believes that the entire team is made up of leaders to some extent.

“Every player on my team is growing into a young adult who will one day be a part of this society, and overall I hope that what they are learning from me are the skills that will help them be positive role models in the society,” Vale said. “They might not be the ‘captain’ of the team, but they are leaders in our Lane Tech community.”