Devon Whitaker ‘20, Raina Kuzemka ‘20:
The Girls’ Athlete of the Month for December is Caroline Burt ‘20 due to her contributions to the varsity squash team. As a freshman last year, Burt started the season as number eight on the ladder, but hard work and many victorious challenge matches propelled her to number two on EA’s ladder. Outside of school, Burt trains for a program called Scozzie, which is at Fairmount in King of Prussia. Burt was was ranked 7th in the country in U15 before aging up to U17. She is currently ranked 26th in U17.
Burt is an experienced player, saying, “I started playing squash around second grade because my older brother Tyler really liked playing it. Ever since I started, I have loved playing squash.”
Photo Courtesy of Caroline Burt ‘20
Demer Holleran, the new Episcopal squash coach, gave some insight about Burt’s history on the team. “She is a sophomore now so I would expect that this year, just with one year of experience on varsity squash, she will be able to play with even more confidence and more determination to win for the team and provide a great example for the rest of the team including the freshmen who are also aspiring to be great varsity players.”
Burt describes that her role is “to bring a positive attitude to every practice, match, or other team event. I also am supposed to be a leader for our team because I will most likely be playing the first position. I will be playing even tougher competition this year.”
Fellow varsity squash player Annie Rau ‘19, describes Burt as “a great teammate and enthusiastic friend.” Rau continues, “She motivates me and pushes me to do my best on and off the court.”
Molly Giles ‘18, captain of the team, summarizes Burt’s pivotal contributions by saying, “Caroline is such a fun teammate and is a model on the court because she never shows her frustration. In squash, it’s really easy to blame yourself for your mistakes and let that affect your playing, but Caroline always stays composed. She is always laughing or smiling and brings a lighthearted vibe to our team.”
Holleran elaborates on Burt’s position on the team, explaining, “Caroline, already in preseason, has been a really positive contributor in her interactions with me. She has been giving me some insight on how the team was last year and is always positive with her teammates. She is a great athlete and I know she works really hard at her game so she leads by example in that way. I think her attitude and focus as a dedicated squash player is going to be a really important aspect of her contribution to the team.”
Holleran is excited for the season ahead, explaining, “I think we have a really good team. I think everyone is gonna work hard and be receptive to coaching ideas and supportive of each other. We are in a league with some of the best teams in the country so it is very likely we will finish top four or five in the country along with a couple of other teams from the area.”
Burt ‘20 feels excitement for the future, stating, “I feel very strongly about our upcoming season. Everyone has a great attitude and tries their hardest during every practice. That being said, we have very strong competition so we will need to work hard all season.”