By Eshana Hora ’27
While most senior athletes are veteran players, some choose to dive into uncharted waters, exploring new sports in their last year at Choate.
Lily Hrazdira ’24
One such sixth-former is Lily Hrazdira ’24, who joined Girls’ Varsity Diving for the first time in her Choate career this year. Since then, she has made remarkable progress. On January 31, Hrazdira placed first amongst Choate’s divers and second overall in a dual meet against Miss Porter’s School.
Hrazdira had played defense on Girls’ Varsity Ice Hockey since her freshman year. In her junior year, however, Hrazdira suffered two concussions, one of which was a result of hitting her head on the ice. “I had a really bad mental block with playing hockey because of that,” she said. “I knew that coming into senior year, I needed to make some sort of switch so I could get through the year.”
Hrazdira initially planned on joining swimming, but a strained rotator cuff on the first day of practice led to her decision to try diving instead. While the transition from hockey to diving may seem drastic, Hrazdira was an avid gymnast as a child, giving her the foundational skills to succeed in diving. Fellow diver John Jannotta ’25’s love for the sport also helped convince her to make the switch. “One of my prefectees is John Jannotta, who talks about it a lot and was super influential on me making that decision,” she said.
Although Hrazdira went into the sport for fun, she pushed herself in practice and at meets. “From the first meet, I realized this is something I want to take super seriously, and it’s become something I put my all into,” she said. “[Head Diving Coach] Mr. Ben Small has helped to push my limits and see how much I can do in a year, or just in a couple of months.” Hrazdira now competes in some of the hardest dives amongst the team.
Lahee Lee ’24
Another senior who pursued an aquatic sport this season for the first time is Lahee Lee ’24, a new member of Junior Varsity [JV] Swimming. Lee previously managed Girls’ Varsity Hockey in the winter term, but former Boys’ Varsity Swimming member James Frushone ’24 convinced her to try swimming.
New to competitive swimming, Lee’s experience at tryouts was challenging but memorable. “It was probably the hardest, athletically most challenging moment of my life. I had never swam like that before; it was so intense,” Lee said.
Nevertheless, Lee has experienced improvement since the beginning of the season. “My technique is probably awful, but I do feel I have built stamina, and I can swim faster for longer.”
Ben Yedid ’24
Ben Yedid ’24 is a new member of Boys’ Junior Varsity (JV) Hockey. Growing up, Yedid played ice hockey in Canada, but decided instead to focus on football. Yedid was previously part of Wrestling; this year, however, Yedid’s friends, who are also seniors on JV Ice Hockey, convinced him that it would be fun to join the team.
Although it took some time to readjust to being on the ice, Yedid has enjoyed being a part of the team. One highlight was their 8-4 victory over Westminster School on February 10, during which he scored his first goal of the season. “My teammate on my line, who’s also a senior, scored two goals, and it’s just so fun when that happens because we are not the most talented on the team, but we like to work hard,” Yedid said.
Most of all, Yedid cherishes the people on the team. “The best part is the people on the team and the friends that I have, like those seniors — they were the ones who convinced me and pushed me into [JV Ice Hockey], and it’s been great being with them.” Yedid also appreciates getting to know more of his peers, especially the underclassmen.
This fall, Yedid will play college football but hopes to keep ties to ice hockey. “I’m from Canada, so I’ll always be connected to hockey … I’ll always want to play, whether it’s just for fun or [because] someone organizes a game.”
By trying out new sports, these seniors have found new friends and additional close-knit communities. “The JV Swimming team is very small,” Lee said. “We have only two lanes, and we share the lanes between 10 of us, but I’ve become close with so many sophomores and freshmen, and it’s a nice bond to have.”
Hrazdira was initially concerned that there would be a weaker team bond in an individual sport like diving compared to ice hockey. “I was so wrong,” Hrazdira reflected. “It feels like they are my family … they were so accepting of me coming into the team as a senior.”
Beyond discovering new communities, trying a new sport as a senior also inspires self-confidence. “The fact that I’ve been able to pick this up and do it well, too, has given me a lot of confidence within myself and within the sport,” Hrazdira said.
