Timmy Gleason ’28
Staff Writer
Across the hilltop on Mount St. James, there are a plethora of athletic activities offered to students. From Division 1 varsity sports to a weekly intramural softball game, there are all sorts of ways for students to get involved and physically disengage from academics.
Undoubtedly, one of the best organizations on campus is club sports. Club sports are the perfect mix of competitiveness and recreation as well as an ample opportunity to socialize with students of all different class years.
This article highlights the contributions of two club captains, seniors Ryan DiPietro and Tyler Hall, of the Holy Cross Men’s Club Soccer Team. I asked Ryan and Tyler three different questions to gain their insights about what it takes to lead a club sports program offered here on campus.
Question 1: What is one word you would use to describe your time as a club captain and why?
Ryan used the word “challenging” to express his time as a club captain, noting “it was not at all the role that I thought it was going to be when I first stepped into it.” He identified specific obstacles, like “corral[ing] 40 guys on a roster that all have different schedules and commitments” as well as the difficulty of “build[ing] a roster based off of how people are performing and who is consistently showing up,” that are challenging as a captain.
Tyler opted to describe his time as a captain as “rewarding” because of his four years within the program. He has been able to “learn from other club captains in order to make the team’s experience as beneficial as possible.”
Question 2: Are there any skills you’ve learned as a captain that have translated to academics or life in general? (ex; time-management, communicating with others, etc.)
Tyler chose the skills of “responsibility or ownership” to have translated the most to academics or everyday life. He went on to explain that there are a variety of “moving parts to managing a team” and as a captain, it’s important to take ownership over everything that occurs within the program.
Ryan elected for “time management” as a skill/trait that he’s sharpened as a club captain. The reasoning behind choosing time management was Ryan “felt like it was always a battle to finish all my school work before practice.” However, Ryan reflected that this obstacle has helped him be “squared away academically before anything else” which has assisted him in many facets outside of club soccer.
Question 3: In a broader sense, what’s been your favorite memory throughout your time in the Holy Cross Men’s Club Soccer program?
Similarly, Ryan and Tyler both discussed the social benefits that the Holy Cross Club Men’s Soccer program has provided them.
Ryan said his “favorite memory with this club has to be all of freshman year.” He went on to say that the program has provided him with “so many memories from my first year” as well as the “opportunity to meet so many new people throughout all four years.” Ryan concluded stating that the club sport has “overall enhanced [his] experience at Holy Cross all [the] while providing a competitive place” to continue competitive athletics.
Tyler liked the “camaraderie that is developed” with the players throughout the course of the year, as the practices, games, and bus rides help with cementing these tight-knit bonds. He noted that these relationships are further strengthened when “play[ing] with guys for multiple seasons in a row.” Lastly, Tyler recognized the “real bond that is created” during time spent in the program, which he is “grateful to be a part of.”
Featured image courtesy of Vermont Public
Copy Edited by Sophia Mariani ’26
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