By Mackenna Stewart
Prescott Bayman’s Lovett journey began with one single decision made by his parents. His parents were transferring Prescott’s older brother to Lovett, and in true younger sibling fashion, Prescott decided to tag along. Since then Prescott has grown from the younger sibling who trailed along with his older brother, to a 6-year student-athlete who has begun to chart his own path. From the minute Prescott was able to play sports for Lovett, which is 7th grade, he slowly began to develop new skills both on and off the field.
As Prescott, who has been at Lovett since the first grade, thinks about his future college career, he also reminisces on his earliest Lovett memories. He began to list some teachers that made a big impact on his early years like Mrs. Murphy, or the librarian, but he also remembers watching the Lovett vs. Westminster soccer games. Little did young Bayman know he too would be playing in these soccer games when he got older.
“There is definitely a bigger leadership role,” said Prescott, comparing his senior year sports experience to his previous grades. As a senior on varsity teams, the rest of the team often leans on the Seniors or veterans for advice since they have the most experience. Additionally, Prescott has found that he had to prepare himself academically to be the kind of teammate he needs to be athletically. For Prescott Senior year came “with a little less academic emphasis.” Although Prescott is still working hard in the classroom to maintain his grades, he also realizes that sports are also just as important.
“Ever since I’ve been here since 1st grade, I’ve always been pushed by my teachers and Lovett offers a rigorous workload if you want it,” said Prescott. He has really enjoyed Lovett’s curriculum as it has given him the opportunity to map out classes that coincide with the future that he wants for himself. Because he has this freedom to choose classes that balance out with his athletic life, he is not only able to control his workload but also be a great student-athlete and not just athlete or student. For this reason, Prescott feels prepared for whatever Emory throws his way.
One of the most valuable takeaways for Prescott academically was definitely time management. “So often games are on the weekdays and you have to plan out your schedule for the whole week on Sunday night or Monday so that you don’t load up on those days that you just have practice,” said Prescott.
Prescott plans to take this important skill with him to Emory, where he has just committed to Emory University for soccer. But before Prescott focuses solely on his college career, he hopes that the team can pull out a state championship. “I think beating Pace again and winning the region is always big,” said Prescott.
Prescott believes the team culture has definitely played a big role in the team’s success thus far. He especially wanted to shout out Tyler Sherman who he said has “changed the culture of the team” for the better.
As Prescott remembers his earliest memories of Lovett from 1st grade to now, and now plans his future ahead of him, he acknowledges that he has a lot to be proud of and lots of people to thank along the way.
As far as Prescott’s favorite memory from this year, he told me it was “Definitely the locker room. All the guys come in there to hang out and we also got a Wii in there this semester so it’s a lot of fun to play with them.” I hope this memory is something Prescott can look back on when he’s in College to help him find the balance between being both a student and an athlete, so that he may be reminded to find the joy that lies in between.
Much Success Prescott! We are all rooting for you.
