The “senior slide” is a nice example of alliteration that rolls off the tongue.

Say it. “Senior slide.”

It’s both easy to say and an accurate term for the general relaxation of the senior student body during the second semester.

But is this relaxed state of mind—along with the label we use for it—applicable only in academia, or are other aspects of life affected?

With this question in my mind, I ventured off to find students who could shed some light on the nature of the senior slide and how it affects athletics.

The first student I talked to was Isaac Frans ‘15, formerly a dedicated lacrosse and basketball participant. I asked him if the senior slide had any effect on his work ethic for sports.

He answered first with a smile and then said, “It has had such an effect that I’m actually not playing any sports at all.”

Frans had decided that during his senior year, he was going to relax and have no worries regarding his athletic life.

Next, I found a senior athlete who was both tenacious on the field and scholarly off of it—Moss Shannon ‘15, a Blake Varsity Lacrosse player and excellent student.

I asked him how the senior slide affected his work ethic for both school and sports.

He replied, “Oh, it’s real, man. The senior slide is real. And it’s alive, too. In sports, I’m still tenacious and want to succeed, but the relaxed mentality that I feel in school does carry over to the field. I’ve definitely felt less motivated than I normally do during my sport. But I don’t think this is a bad thing. Being so relaxed always me to enjoy all these precious moments of high school. Which is great, because high school is actually pretty cool.”

Hodan Ahmed ‘15, a leading member of the Blake Girls Basketball team, talked to me about how basketball is a physically and mentally challenging game but overall incredibly rewarding.

I wondered if the senior slide was having any effect on her passion for her game.

She replied, “It’s real in academia. I have felt a great relaxation when concerning my schoolwork. But basketball? Nah, I still work my hardest in basketball. “The Slide” has had no effect on that.”

I heard a myriad of responses when asking seniors if their athletic life had been transformed by the infamous “Senior Slide.” While some students allow the senior slide to impact their athletic life, there are many others who do not. Overall, it seems as though the phenomenon does manifest itself within the Class of 2015 and itm influences seniors in many different ways.