The walk from the Middle School to the Upper School at Hackley is about twenty feet, but the invisible threshold that all middle schoolers cross as they join the Upper School community dwarfs any physical constraint. Transitioning into high school is academically, socially, and psychologically difficult for many students, but transitioning into a high school sport is a test of the physical. Like many other freshmen, Tyler LaRoche ‘18 and Demetra Yancopoulos ‘18 have taken these challenges head-on, joining rigorous high school programs and consequently raising their game to the next level. However, Demetra and Tyler stand out because these two freshmen girls have become parts of the wrestling and football teams, respectively.

Demetra Yancopoulos is proud to be a wrestler. Demetra has wrestled since middle school, following in the footsteps of her older brother, former school president, and role model Damis. But the transition from middle school to high school has weighed heavily on Demetra.

“The transition has been hard, honestly. I am an athlete, but high school wrestling is the most excruciating fitness I’ve ever done. The commitment is bigger. And I stress a lot. I love what wrestling does for me, but I dread it every single day. It’s a challenge mentally and physically.”

Tyler plays on the offensive line for the football team, protecting the quarterback at right guard. Like Demetra, the physical demands of the transition have been surprising.

“The transition is ridiculous. First off, there’s an extra hour and a half of practice. Tuesdays we run snakes, Wednesdays we do suicides. There are times where you get a break and we play ultimate football for conditioning on Thursday but it’s really tiring. It’s hard, but definitely bearable and still fun,” said Tyler.

“This team is better than any I could’ve asked for. I’m not saying they’re all my brothers, but they’ve treated me with respect and have helped me with the game and on the field. In a game, I’m not a girl, I’m a teammate,” said Tyler. Both Tyler and Demetra are conscious of their unique place on their respective male-majority teams and are in favor of opening the sports to more girls. However, they both also realize the added challenges inherent to being the only girl on an all-boy squad.

“Wrestling is a team sport, technically. You practice with your teammates every day, you go to the same meets, but when you’re on the mat, you’re alone,” Demetra remarked. The solitude of the wrestling mat accompanies all wrestlers, regardless of gender, but for Demetra, the pressures are multiplied by circumstance.

“Everyone there knows I’m a girl, I’ve got increased attention, and increased pressure. I can’t hide out there: It’s scary. The dynamic of wrestling as a team is different. You know the kids in your weight class, you might know your friends, but you rarely bond with anyone else. Being a girl, it’s even harder. I don’t spend that time in the locker room with my teammates, and it’s intimidating confronting all the upperclassmen guys. I have friends on the team, but it’s just different than all the other sports I’ve done,” said Demetra.

When asked about other girls joining the football and wrestling teams, Tyler and Demetra were receptive towards new athletes, but offered some reservations.

“I think football should be fully accessible to girls in the same way it is to boys. At Hackley, we’ve had two girls that wrestle, a football player and an ice hockey player.. Girls can play “boy sports” and here it happens more often than I’ve seen at most schools. That being said, there are certain people, boy or girl, that shouldn’t play football at a high school level. These guys can get really big and if you’re not that athletic or you only kind of enjoy it, I don’t suggest you play after eighth grade,” said Tyler.

“Wrestling is really intense. Some girls could do it with the boys, and even more would have the courage to do it if it was openly available to girls. Although it could be good to have a girls team, it would be entirely different as a girls sport. Girls are typically very different than boys, and so the dynamic of a girls team would be so different. Personally, I don’t think I would enjoy it as much if I were to be on a girls team. Not to be offensive, but I doubt it would be as intense. Not necessarily because girls aren’t as good athletes, but just because I wouldn’t have the challenge as an individual of keeping up with the boys. Part of what makes me love it so much is that I’m doing something different,” said Demetra.

Demetra and Tyler clearly represent the strength and integrity that makes all of Hackley’s burgeoning student-athletes truly special. Every year, the school seems to churn out talented students that take advantage of Hackley Athletics to test their own limits and invest large amounts of time and energy into their teams. While the transition to this athletic culture can be difficult, Demetra and Tyler have proven that every student at Hackley can aspire to excel in any sport, regardless of stereotypes.