Zoe Totland: one of seven of FPU’s dual athletes

by: Madison Leslie

Bang! Bang! Bang! The weights dropped one after another when the Franklin Pierce Women’s Lacrosse team finished their last set of weights. Zoe Totland came running into the weight room carrying her tennis bag because she had just finished a difficult practice. She was sweaty with a look of exhaustion. Junior, Zoe Totland is on both the Women’s Lacrosse and Tennis Teams. She is one of 7 dual athletes at Franklin Pierce University.

Totland is a very busy individual. “I usually max out hours every single day because of both sports,” said Totland, which means that she daily does up to 8 hours of practice and lift for both sports or approximately 40 hours a week.

Totland stated that she does get overwhelmed with both athletics and classes. However, “I’m a “go go go” person and I hate being bored, being a dual athlete is more exciting for me rather than stressful,” said Totland.

Totland has been playing tennis since she was young because it was a family game, “I started playing as soon as I could walk.”

She has been playing lacrosse since the 7^th grade she says. Toland’s main sport is lacrosse and she was set on playing both. “Lacrosse is my life. It will always be there and never something I could ever live without. Playing both was obvious,” said Totland.

However, she wasn’t able to be a dual sport athlete her first two years because the women’s lacrosse coach did not want two sport athletes. The extra hours of lacrosse focus paid off in spring of her freshmen year when she was awarded “Midfielder NE10-All Rookie Team.”

Totland had been recruited for tennis since her freshman year and when the coaching staff of the women’s lacrosse team was uncertain, she did not hesitate. “I was a little nervous but excited to work hard to get back into tennis shape that summer,” said Totland in an email interview.

Many wonder about the physical aspect of being a dual sport athlete. As a midfielder Totland has been trained to run 6-9 miles a game.  Tennis requires different muscles, “I had to get quicker and more stable in my core. Also, a lot of shoulder work for strong serves.”

Because lacrosse is her priority the tennis coach, Coach Pete Arsenault is considerate of her physical state and probable exhaustion. “Condition Coach Pete is really understanding, if I’m super dead from lacrosse workout and conditioning I can do alternative work in practice,” said Totland.  To keep her body in top form she goes to the trainers one to two times a day.

Unfortunately, Totland suffered an ankle sprain during her 3^rd match of the season. She recovered in three weeks and was able to compete in the final weeks of her tennis and fall ball season.

Time management is key in her busy schedule. “Not everyone is going to understand how hard it is to be a dual athlete,” said Totland. She lifts six times a week, three times with her lacrosse team and three times with her tennis team.  She also has a job in the Athletic Training room, where she is scheduled once a week if her schedule allows, “I will get a shift a week to fill my last bit of free time.”

With tennis wrapping up and lacrosse preparing for their main spring season with brand new coaches she is optimistic.   “We work hard and learn so many life skills being athletes, most CEO’s are former collegiate athletes… Sometimes we are exhausted running late from 6 a.m. practice and stumble into your 8 a.m. a little late…it is hard, but you just have to know you are literally doing the best you can.”