For many athletes, gravitating towards that one other person on your team is an unavoidable thing. From a simple connection to never being apart, these athletes around FHC have become vastly known as dynamic duos. Having a dynamic duo has a greater impact on an athlete than just simply having a friend on the team. Whether it may be a warm-up partner or a reason to go to practice, a dynamic duo has a never-ending impact on an athlete’s career. However, what exactly is that impact? 

For sophomore Thomas Paplawsky, a wrestler and baseball player at FHC, his dynamic duo partner is sophomore Jack Anderson. These two have known each other since kindergarten and Thomas speaks about the reasons for this duo with Jack. “Inside and out of the wrestling room, we love to compete, drill and hang out together. No matter what has happened in the past, we have been great friends and teammates.” Both Thomas and Jack have a similar love for wrestling and Thomas shares why this duo, like many others, is important in athletics. “It is important to have dynamic duos because when athletes lose that duo and that connection, the love for the game or sport is diminished.” The athletics side of high school is an intense and complicated thing to manage alone. Having that dynamic duo —that person you are close with—is one thing that keeps athletes going, despite the hardships in athletics. 

High school athletics tend to be a new level for most athletes; this level is unlike most have experienced before. So how does having a dynamic duo impact the experience of the game? Freshman Kenzie Manders, tri-sport athlete, has had her basketball career impacted by the support of her dynamic duo partner freshman Lexi Scarlato. “Having this relationship with Lexi allows me to be able to perform better, and it also makes me feel good when I do something because she is there to encourage me,” Lexi said. “She has made me continue to love basketball and want to work to improve my skills.” Having an unbreakable bond with another athlete on your team is something that inspires athletes to do better and keep the love for the game alive. 

There are endless reasons as to why having a dynamic duo partner can keep an athlete moving forward in his or her career, but freshman lacrosse and football player, Joey Vanderveen, speaks about how his dynamic duo relationship with freshman Parker Udy has improved their skills on the field. “Over the years, we have developed some of the best in-game communication I have ever experienced. It is like we know and anticipate what each other is going to do before we do it. We are able to use each other in order to make ourselves better on the field,” he says. 

Having a dynamic duo in a sport is something that many, if not all, athletes are bound to have at one point in their careers. This relationship is something that allows the athlete to truly see him or herself in the game because he or she has someone who is looking at the game from the same perspective as him or her. Having a once in a lifetime relationship with a fellow athlete will give a new purpose while partaking in your sport and allows for greater opportunities.

Every FHC athlete has his or her partner to complete the dynamic duo. Whether it is realized or not, this relationship between the two athletes is one thing that gives drive to the game. To all dynamic duos, no matter the side, you are truly appreciated by your other half.