SThe Sweet Life

One can find Andrea Sweet on dorm duty in Kirtland House on Tuesday nights, on the sidelines of the varsity football game on Saturday afternoons, working on an organic farm during the summer months and sprinting between the weight room, her office and team practices every spare second in between. Sweet has been the full-time Strength and Conditioning Coach at Phillips Exeter Academy, supporting all facets of athletics, for six years.“I am intimidated by Coach Sweet,” upper Morgan Burrell admitted. “She is an athletic, capable woman who could absolutely hold her own against any boys varsity football starter.”Growing up on a farm in Northwood, New Hampshire, with two brothers, Sweet developed an energetic nature from an early age.“There was always some type of competition going on in the house,” she said. “From bringing firewood into the house first from who would wake up first and get outside in the snow first to or playing basketball on our driveway, which was uphill.”Sweet described the importance of a positive reaction in the face of defeat. “I would say ‘Okay, that happened, now how can I learn from it and get better the next time?’ I always looked how to become better at whatever I was doing,” she said.She applied this optimistic attitude to her high school sports. Despite attending a school which didn’t offer a wide range of sports, she took advantage of the opportunities presented to her, playing on numerous teams throughout her adolescence from the junior-varsity soccer team to varsity track and basketball teams.It was her athletic and outdoors orientated personality that inspired Sweet to take sports and nutrition classes while an undergraduate at Springfield College, Massachusetts.“I originally wanted to be an athletic trainer but then I realized that I wanted to work with athletes before they were hurt,” she said.As a sophomore, Sweet majored in applied exercise science, specializing in strength and conditioning. She interned at Mike Boyle’s Strength and Conditioning Center. She spoke highly of the experience. “Mike Boyle was a guru of strength and conditioning. He advised me to become a graduate assistant in strength and conditioning”With a specialized degree in the field, she worked different stints as a graduate assistant. From Northern Arizona University, to the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury team, Florida Atlantic University, Sweet finally returned to New Hampshire in 2007.“I came back to the North East and I saw a job opening [at Exeter], which I was drawn to because it was near home,” she said.Sweet was attracted to the Academy’ atmosphere from her first visit. “I realized how nice and welcoming everyone was,” she said.Having always been an assistant coach, Sweet relished the opportunity to take the helm of operations. “It was a brand new program of Strength and Conditioning, and I realized I didn’t have to be an assistant coach with my athletes,” she said. “Here was a program I could develop. It was like my baby, my own thing.”Robert Morris, director of athletics, discussed the department’s reasons behind Sweet’s current position. “I felt that it was important that we had a professional strength and conditioning coach that would work with our interscholastic athletes,” he said. “We created the position and hired Coach Sweet. I feel we hired the best person out there.”Now in her sixth year, Sweet has developed the program from inception to its current status.“It was like my baby, my own thing I could develop,” she said.Although she is more visible training with varsity and junior varsity teams, Sweet is also responsible for the fitness of any member of the Exeter community who requests help. Adults and students alike approach her for advice and workout routines, no matter their athletic ability.“She goes the extra mile to help kids,” Sydnee Goddard, JV girls Field Hockey coach, said. “She is always in the weight room working individually with anyone that asks.”“She’s been great in terms of being there for our kids 24/7,” Athletic Department Instructor David Hudson agreed. “She’s a professional that really knows how to work with individuals in setting up a program, and also has the ability to work with 45 football guys.”Many felt that Sweet is sincerely interested in the individuals and students she works with. She spoke of her love for working with the Exeter community. “My favorite part of the job is seeing a new student come in and watching them grow,” she said. “It’s amazing to see their mindset change, to see them mature and to think and understand competition.”Others noticed her presence in the Physical Education department as crucial. “Because of Coach Sweet, we are stronger as a community, and better conditioned,” Morris said. “That leads to fewer injuries, and we are also giving kids a real sense of what it takes to get better, and what it looks like at a higher level.”A large part of Sweet’s success, however, is implicit in her ability to convey serious instructions in a jovial manner.Upper Kimberly Dawes discussed the enjoyable time spent during each training session. “The girls on the [field hockey] team always goof around with her, and she always gets you ready to go,” she said. “She constantly claps, just to get energy going and to get us pumped up.”Senior Helen Hultin agreed. “She strikes a good balance between working hard and having fun,” she said. “Even though she works with so many different people, she pays attention to what each athlete needs individually and is willing to work with people one on one.”Sweet tailors her workouts to each individual, to fit the challenge and ensure safety.“One day, after a really hard practice, we all came in and were just exhausted. She asked us, ‘How tired are you? Mentally tired? Physically tired?’ and we just said we were ‘Exeter tired.’ She totally understood that, and cut down the lifting for us that day.Sweet is by no means an easygoing coach, however. Goddard mentioned how she pushes each student she works with, saying “She is so dynamic when she is with the kids that she gets a tremendous amount of effort and hard work out of them. She pushes them to reach their potential.”Her training style has brought about respect from all those she works with. “She has a great relationship with everyone she works with, and definitely has their respect, in terms of her knowledge, ability to motivate, and work with large groups,” Hudson said.Moreover, the high standard of fitness exemplified by Sweet inspires many members of the Exeter community.“One of the most in shape in woman I’ve ever met,” upper Andrew Eigner said. “She is always doing the exercise perfectly when she demonstrates it so you know she’s been doing it for a while.“She’s a wonderful athlete herself so a great role model to look up to. The kids will be watching her demonstrate one of the activities she wants to them do, and I think they all want to be able to do it was well as she can,” Goddard agreed.Her expertise in the area, too, motivates the individuals and teams she works with. “She has an incredible wealth of knowledge in the area, and she’s really gotten people to buy into it,” Morris said. “The coaches buy in, the student athletes buy in, the whole community, really.”“She has lots of energy and brings that in every day,” Marianne Barbin, Assistant to Director of Athletics, added. “Everyone who works with her, loves her.”