Athlete of the Week: Ted Hart

Endurance and physicality. Composure and decisiveness. Humor and charisma. These are qualities Ted Hart, senior and co-captain of the varsity soccer and ice hockey teams, embodies.

Since he was five years old, Hart has been actively involved in soccer and excelled at the sport.

After participating in a youth soccer program for four years, he joined a travel soccer team until high school. In Cumberland, Maine, his hometown, Hart played in the local high school’s team for three years, and then last year, he transferred to Exeter and has been part of the boys’ varsity soccer team since.

Hart explained that since he started playing the sport, he has always loved belonging to a team. He emphasized that the team aspect of the sport is still his favorite facet of soccer.

“I really love practicing with a team,” Hart said. “In soccer, you need to trust and rely on all 11 guys on the field for the team to be successful. Everyone needs to do their own part to achieve the team goals. We had a great group of guys this year, and I enjoyed not only playing with them, but also getting to know them on a personal level. I couldn’t have asked for a better team to end it with. I wouldn’t have wanted to end it any other way.”

Head coach AJ Cosgrove said that Ted has been an irreplaceable and pivotal player.

“Ted is strong, fast and uses his body extremely well,” Cosgrove said. “He has a powerful shot and is able to be precise when necessary. These traits carry over to the ice where he also is a tremendous playmaker and scorer.”

Many members of the team shared how much they respect Hart as a teammate and soccer player.

Senior Max Rerkpattanapipat said that Hart’s talent and effort in the sport is looked upon by Hart’s teammates, including himself, with admiration and reverence.

“He has a powerful shot and is able to be precise when necessary. These traits carry over to the ice where he also is a tremendous playmaker and scorer.”

“To describe in one word, Ted is unstoppable. In the world of athletes, there might be people who specialize in speed, specialize in height and strength or specialize in skill,” he said. “However, every once in a while someone comes along and has all of those components, and Ted is one of those one in a million that fits into that category. He's huge, yet he runs ridiculously fast, and he uses his god-given hesitation moves to juke out his opponents with ease.”

“There's no other way to put it other than that he's an absolute phenomenon and very fun to watch,” Rerkpattanapipat added.

Upper Devin Moore commended Hart’s ability to take advantage of his physical capabilities to perform his best.

“Ted has many strengths,” Moore said. “As a player, he's big with good speed and likes to use his power to run through defenders. He use his body to shield players, take a step one way, then rip the ball on net.”

Upper Henry Behrens admired Hart’s diligence on and off the field, as well as Hart’s ability to invigorate his teammates before a game.

“He’s unbelievable. He’s not only going to be there and have a pump-up speech, but his work ethic and tenacity on the field excites you. He really shows you what to do instead of telling you what to do,” he said.

Members of the team all agreed that as a captain, Hart has led “by example,” and been charismatic.

“Ted is a quiet leader,” Cosgrove said. “He's not the type of captain to beat his chest.  He leads by example.”

Moore added, “He is always working hard and, when he feels like he hasn't played a great game, he lets us knew we need to step it up, including himself.”

Senior and co-captain Sterling Weatherbie said that just through his actions, Hart is able to lead the team.

“Ted will do anything he can to be the best that he can be. He makes the whole team competitive just by being the competitive player that he is. He brings out the energy in everybody, and he leads by example,” Weatherbie said. “Though he doesn’t use his words, he sets the tone just by his actions.”

Hart’s teammates also appreciate and admire his supportive attitude and empathy.

“I'm not the most talkative or outgoing guy on the team, but everyone once in a while Teddy reaches out to me and it is very encouraging,” Rerkpattanapipat said. “Nothing but supportive words come out of his mouth. That is what makes him such a good captain and teammate. He makes sure everyone is on the same page, feels welcomed into the soccer family and never fails to motivate us in all types of situations.”

Senior Andy Espinoza agreed and said that Hart reaches out to his teammates and supports them through the highs and lows of the season.

“Coming in as a new upper, I didn’t know what I was going to get myself into as far as friends go, but since day one, this guy has had my back through thick and thin,” Espinoza said. “I can always count on ted to lift my spirits, and I know that he’ll always be there to support me.”

Hart said that as he completes his last season at Exeter, which will be his last season as a soccer player, he will miss being part of the team. He added, however, that he is excited to focus on another sport that he’s fervent about: ice hockey.

“It's going to be difficult giving soccer up after playing for twelve years, but I look forward to getting back on the ice and moving on with my athletic career,” Hart said.