As the leaves change color and temperature drops during the fall, senior Zadie Besev moves between the rehearsals for Amélie and her club lacrosse practices, racing against time while many others begin to wind down before the winter season.

It is a common high school stereotype that a student has to choose between arts or sports, given the differences between the two activities. This misconception is understandable as sports are often labeled with athleticism, while theater with artistry. Even the way students demonstrate their skills and excellence differs structurally on many fronts.

“You do what you do for those three nights (of a performance) and that’s what goes on the record,” whereas, “For games, there are so many throughout the season that if you drop the ball once or if you miss a goal once, it’ll sting for the day or it’ll hurt for the game, but there’s almost always going to be a chance to make that up,” said Besev.

Besev, a lacrosse player and theater performer, is deeply involved in both activities, defying the high school stereotype of committing to sports or arts, shifting between the physical rigor of lacrosse and the artistic creativity of theater.

According to Besev, her participation in the two programs complements each other, with theater’s reflective qualities helping her on the field, and lacrosse’s team environment supporting her directing. She shows how these two programs, which some define as opposites, share many commonalities and work hand in hand.

When the clock hits 3:45 pm and students exit the building for home during the first months of school, Besev makes her way into the theater wing, staying there until late at night during the week leading up to opening night.

Senior Neria Abbimutt, who co-directed the fall musical, Amélie with Besev, said that Besev’s commitments to both arts and sports has given her additional skills which make her well-versed in communicating with the cast and making her presence felt in rehearsal spaces. 

 “She’s just a very lively person, and her energy is super contagious, and I think the cast really responded well to that,” said Abbimutt.

In addition, Besev added that performing on stage, singing, and dancing really boosted her confidence, pushing her to overcome a bit of social awkwardness. As a senior, she is ready to step into her role as a lacrosse captain this spring and hopes to, “take that fun that I carry with me in theater, to the lacrosse season.”

Sports practices at North are adult-led and tightly structured, while theater is often student-directed. “For theater it’s usually student directors,” said Besev, “so it can be a little bit more lenient, and it does get a little bit chaotic sometimes.”

She added, “Both can be rigid and taken seriously”. 

According to senior Emily Lao, Besev’s lacrosse teammate, Besev excels in the high pressure moments she faces on the field, never allowing nerves to overtake her athleticism.

“During games it’s all in the moment decisions, while it’s obviously a physical sport, it’s also very mental, and making one mistake may not impact the entire end result. But, if you can’t let it go, then it will affect how you play for the rest of the game,” Lao said. 

Lao added that girls’ lacrosse is often misunderstood. “I do think some people compare it to boys’ lacrosse and think girls’ lacrosse is easier because it’s less contact with the actual stick.”

Abbimutt echoed that theater faces similar struggles with misconceptions.“Theater kind of has a reputation for being a little bit weird, and people rarely take the time to actually watch the shows and appreciate the hard work that goes into them.” 

Whether through busting misconceptions, excelling in practices, games, or performances, Besev attempts to bridge the gap between the two activities, molding them together instead of pushing them apart. “I’m not afraid to say ‘I’m in theater’ in front of people I play lacrosse with, because I work hard for both and enjoy them.”

Besev added a piece of advice.

 “It takes up time. It really does,” she said. “But if you really love it, there’s no wasted time.”