From Mullets to Mohawks, New Hairstyles on Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse

James Dunne ’20 sports a bowl cut. Photo by Ryan Kim/The Choate News

Recently, Choate witnessed the transformation of the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Team as some players on the team received unique, yet similarly unconventional, haircuts. The barber shop was located in the upstairs bathroom of Atwater House, and the team offered a variety of hairstyles, from mohawks to “friar” cuts to razor stripes. Another popular look this year involved shaving their jersey numbers their heads.

The players wanted to get the haircuts to show their commitment and dedication to the team. JP Rush ’21, a new sophomore on the team, said, “I chose to get a haircut because it was a team activity, a form of team bonding that we were doing, and it was something for us to do while we were bored.” He added that a lot of players received mullets because the style has long been a favored lacrosse haircut. Players like to show off their long hair from underneath their lacrosse helmets.

“The more extreme haircuts,” Rush said, “were just guys who didn’t really care what their hair looked like and really just wanted to show they were in it for the team.” Some members approach the activity with the attitude that the worse the haircut, the funnier the outcome.

While team haircuts can occasionally incite peer pressure for each member to participate, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse made efforts to avoid it. The captains of the team made sure that the boys who received the haircuts actually wanted a haircut, instead of feeling obligated to do so. “We were reassured many times by both our captains and coaches that the haircuts were optional,” Dallyn Rai ’20 said. “Only a little more than half the team actually got a haircut. The guys who did get their haircut asked for the style they wanted and had full power over what they got. The team was not going to make it mandatory because that wouldn’t be fair to the people who didn’t want a haircut.”

Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse Head Coach Mr. Mike Velez said, “The haircuts were a way to express a level of team spirit heading into the season. It is not unlike other programs, such as swimmers dying their hair in years past, and can be a source of fun and camaraderie.” On the topic of peer pressure, he added,“Some members of the group declined having their hair cut, which is also important, since trust and respect for each other will be critical to the success we have this season.”

As Mr. Velez mentioned, this practice is not unique to Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse. Some years, the football team has also followed this trend, and somewhat similar is the swim team’s tradition of bleaching team members’ hair before the Founders and New England Championships.

The strong bond the team has formed early in the season has been evident in dominating victories over Lawrenceville and Northfield Mount Hermon.

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