The 2000s

Jen Russell ’06

“My time at Brooks has, and continues to have, a significant impact on my life,” says Jen Russell ’06, who learned to play lacrosse at Brooks before heading off to a stellar collegiate lacrosse career at the University of North Carolina and a 10-year tenure on the United States women’s national lacrosse team. Russell credits Brooks, and specifically her time playing sports at Brooks, with helping her solidify friendships and find the sport that’s carried her through her athletic career.

“Although I hadn’t played lacrosse before Brooks, the culture and camaraderie that permeated through the school and the athletic department allowed me to feel comfortable trying something new,” she says. “Now, the relationships that I built throughout those four years and the experiences that I had playing lacrosse at Brooks and beyond have been instrumental in shaping who I am today.”

“Brooks was also where I began to develop the confidence, which catapulted the rest of my career,” Russell explains. “I found individual success, but most importantly, the teams I was a part of were very special. I applied many of the lessons that I learned from my teammates and coaches at Brooks to the next level in order to continue to grow as a player and as a teammate.”

My participation in athletics had a transformational impact on my life. Playing sports taught me the importance of hard work and dedication, time management, how to deal with failure and, most importantly, teamwork. All of these skills are foundational tools that ultimately prepared me for life in the real world. Athletics enable people from a wide variety of backgrounds to unite around a common purpose and ultimately develop a differentiated bond. Early in my career I took advantage of this dynamic and created the Female Athlete Network at Goldman Sachs, which matched senior male leaders with junior female talent that played sports in college. The shared appreciation for athletics resulted in differentiated relationships and drove a notable increase in female employee retention in my division at the bank.

My favorite sports memory at Brooks was our girls 1st soccer 2002 New England championship season. I

Russell sees the impact that access to athletic opportunity has had on her life, and she thinks it’s vital to afford those opportunities to other women and girls as well. “I feel very strongly that sports has been one of the best things that’s ever happened to me,” she says. “I couldn’t imagine the younger generation not having that same opportunity. Sports allows for such unique experiences. There are always ups and downs, and so much is about learning to distill critical lessons while not dwelling too much on the losses. At the same time, it affords access to unique friendships and allows for the creation of lifelong bonds. I think it all is so important. I couldn’t imagine a world where it’s not a reality for everyone.” played three sports at Brooks and soccer was my worst sport from an individual standpoint; but the team we had in 2002 was truly special. We all knew our roles and respected and appreciated one another, plus we had a lot of fun! This special dynamic translated into an undefeated season with lifelong friendships and memories I will never forget. —

Kaylan Alderson ’03

Being a part of sports teams was, without a doubt, the highlight of my time at Brooks. Each team fostered a unique sense of belonging, inclusion and fun both on and off the field. While I didn’t know it at the time, being a part of these teams of amazing women provided life lessons in teamwork and friendship that have served me well in both my work and personal life, far beyond my Brooks years. When I think back on my Brooks experience, my fondest memories are of the New England championship games, the team dinners, and the quirky traditions and superstitions each team held. These are the things I will always remember about Brooks.

Emily Schwarz Begen ’05

Sports have been an instrumental part of my life. Some of my fondest memories are from my time spent playing softball, basketball and soccer at Brooks. Through each of the teams I was on I was able to develop lifelong friendships and gain important mentors who stayed with me after my Brooks career was over. Sports gave me the confidence I was lacking in other areas of my life and helped me develop my competitiveness and drive, which I now carry over into my career in marketing. I am so fortunate now to be able to give back to the sport that gave me so much. I love being back on the Brooks campus every day in the spring. I know how important my coaches were to me, and I hope that I can be that for the girls I coach. I am a huge advocate of women’s sports and believe that they help create a foundation for women to be successful in so many different areas. There are some lessons you learn on the field that can’t be taught anywhere else. — Brooks Softball Assistant Coach Britt

Hart ’09

The 2010s

(to the present)

Playing sports at Brooks was the majority of my Brooks experience. I am coming up on my 10-year reunion and some of my closest friends from Brooks are my former teammates. I was fortunate to win ISL and New England titles with different sports teams at Brooks and, although I look back on those memories fondly, I remember the memories from the day-to-day training and games more often. The Team Prep Camps for soccer were always an adventure. The holiday tournaments with the hockey team, staying in hotels and being together for New Year’s Eve, is something I will always remember. Playing in the Big East tournament for softball and spending the entire weekend together in May when you never knew if it was going to be 70 degrees and sunny or 45 and rainy. I am still in contact with my former coaches, and I know if I ran into any of my former teammates in the professional world now we would still have each other’s backs like we did in high school. Playing sports at Brooks was not easy. Time management was a major skill that had to be learned when competing athletically and academically. Those are skills I brought with me to Bates College, where I played soccer, and now to law school. I never regretted playing soccer, hockey or softball at Brooks. I believe it not only made my Brooks experience, but it was my Brooks experience. My love for Brooks wouldn’t be the same if I had not played sports.

Emma Goff ’14

Recent athletes have grown up with the assumption and assurance of equality in their access to girls sports. They speak fondly of the ways their time in a Brooks uniform contributed to their sense of community on campus, and also of the tangible opportunities sports has given them as they looked toward college and beyond.

Taina Mair ’22

“Sports have opened up the door of opportunity for me,” says Taina Mair ’22. Mair spent this year as the starting point guard for the Boston College women’s basketball team. At press time, she planned to transfer to Duke University next year. Over the course of her rookie season for the Eagles, Mair turned heads as she led the team and the ACC freshman class in multiple stats. Mair was named to the ACC All-Freshman team.

At Brooks, Mair led the girls 1st basketball team to two New England championships and was named the 2022 Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year.

“Sports allowed me to access the education I’ve received,” Mair says. “I had the opportunity to attend Holderness School as a freshman and then Brooks for my last three years of high school. Being able to attend schools like that and meet people like my teachers at Brooks, and then, obviously, to get into B.C. and be able to play at B.C.: This education is top-notch, and I’m meeting people who are going to go on to do great things, and I never thought I’d be in this position.”

Mair says that being an athlete has prepared her for the mental and physical challenges of life. “Being on the court has definitely helped me mature off the court,” she says. She also credits her time at Brooks outside of basketball with helping her prepare for the rigors of college life. “Brooks holds you to a high standard, both in the classroom and as a human being,” Mair says. “Because of that, I hold myself to a high standard now as well. I know that I’m not just an athlete here. I know that I have to do well academically because that’s the expectation that was set for me at Brooks.”

Mair, who is from Roxbury, Massachusetts, wants to play basketball for as long as possible; she hopes to play overseas because she wants to travel the world and see new places. Once she leaves the court for the last time, she’s thinking of pursuing a career as a storm chaser, and imagines pursuing tornadoes to conduct meteorological research in the field. For now, though, she’s focused on her life as a star on the court — and as a budding role model for the young girls that flock to games.

“It's hard to see myself as a role model, because I'm so young also,” Mair says. “It's surreal sometimes when people ask me for my autograph. But people definitely tell me, ‘My daughter looks up to you.’ I don't see myself in that position yet. But it's a great feeling to know that I'm inspiring younger people, especially younger girls. It makes me feel good, obviously, and I’m grateful to be in that position.”

Playing three 1st-team sports at Brooks offered me a lot of variety in athletic experiences. Trying a new sport, field hockey, my third-form year was quite humbling. I was not a top contender, and found myself in a new position, a very important one — the bench. This particular experience helped me become a well-rounded captain. I was able to understand a perspective and challenge that I did not yield to in my other sports teams at Brooks, ice hockey and softball. I cherished every moment of every practice of every season. Practice is where you see progress. Routine is what drove me to do better academically; it forced me to plan out my time better and be more meaningful with the hours in my day. I would describe myself as painfully extroverted, and my three teams helped me to regulate that part of myself. When I was asked to be a school prefect my sixth-form year, I felt like Mr. Packard at the beginning of each school year trying to remember everyone’s names — I eventually got it down. Relationships are what drives Brooks, and meaningful connections drive that life-lasting, personal experience. —

Gabi Hillner ’17