The thought of balancing two different sports and the academic severity of AHS may seem daunting to some, but freshman Kyrene Tam does it all. As a cross country star in the fall and a dedicated swimmer in the spring, Kyrene balances her love for sports and academics without missing a beat.

Kyrene started her freshman year strong by joining the cross country team. The long distances and grueling practices may seem formidable, but new experiences and happy memories contributed to Kyrene’s ultimate love for the sport. When asked about her favorite meet, she responded, “I found the most fun in the Great Cow Run! It was my first meet, so everyone was nervous, but that reassured me a little.” She also explained that she got to “walk around the park with friends” and explore the area.

The large team intimidated Kyrene at first, but she was able to gradually meet fellow athletes and make new friends. “After a lot of moping around alone, I was able to talk to some sophomores that interested me in finding more friends!” she recalled. “It took me a while to open up, but I eventually was able to be a part of such an amazing, united team where everyone supports one another.”

As for her second sport, Kyrene has only just begun her swimming journey here at AHS. She swam previously at Max Aquatics, a club team, for four years, but stopped for about six months. “I was terrified at tryouts because I hadn’t been practicing much before,” Kyrene remarked. As a piece of advice to aspiring athletes, Kyrene said, “Be confident at tryouts and don’t stress too much! Believe in yourself.”

Although the tryouts initially scared Kyrene, she landed a spot on the JV team. She’s been working hard ever since and has learned to love the once-painful morning practices. Kyrene said that she especially likes Friday Funday, which is a day reserved for enjoyable activities. “Waking up at 5 a.m. is still pretty difficult, but once I get into the mood and start working out with my friends, it’s genuinely fun!”

As for juggling her schoolwork and social life, Kyrene explained that she’s learned how to manage time effectively. “I did athletics in middle school as well, so over the years, I’ve learned how to balance out my schoolwork and sports by doing homework whenever I can.” Like any other person, Kyrene can get distracted, so she explained how she designates “15 minutes on the phone to catch up on everything”, and then shuts it off and continues her work. “Managing time wisely is so important if you want to be successful academically and athletically,” Kyrene said.

Hopefully, Kyrene will continue her athletic adventures here at AHS. She’s already achieved so much as a freshman and will unquestionably continue to work hard. Thank you for sharing, Kyrene, and best of luck in your future endeavors!

Photo by LISZA LO