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05/07/2012 12:00 AMTaking into account Caitlin Fitzpatrick's vast amount of achievements, what's even more impressive is that she finds time to succeed in such a variety of activities. After all, Caitlin is a member of North Haven's National, Math, and Music honor societies who's president of the latter and plays tenor saxophone in the concert and jazz bands, along with singing in multiple choirs.
Caitlin is also quite the talented athlete, having earned MVP honors as a foilist for Indians' fencing, owning a 9-2 record with Allie Carroll as the No. 2 doubles tandem in girls' tennis, and captaining both squads in her current senior year.
Yet as chockfull a schedule as she maintains, Caitlin handles it as smoothly as a Charlie Parker sax solo and enjoys her endeavors so much that they barely even feel like work.
"I don't see the point in doing something if you don't enjoy it and I'm lucky in that nothing I do seems like a chore," says Caitlin. "I've enjoyed high school a lot and know that I'll always make time for things that matter to me."
Next fall, Caitlin will make time to double-major in saxophone performance and cognitive science at UConn with hopes of studying music's influence on the mind in graduate school. Music has undoubtedly had a positive influence on Caitlin since she started playing sax in 4th grade, an activity she began shortly after first stepping onto the tennis court.
Caitlin joined Indians' girls' tennis as a freshman, saw plenty of doubles action as a sophomore, then teamed with Shirley Rodriguez to go 16-2 at the No. 3 spot last spring. Now, Caitlin comprises half of a dynamic duo alongside Carroll, with whom she hopes to qualify for the State Open, while helping North Haven continue its ascent into the upper echelon.
"Teaming up with Allie has been awesome because she's a great net player who can get to anything and we're both always cheering each other on," says Caitin. "I didn't know what to expect when I started with the team because it had seen some not-so-great days, but we've come so far and it feels great to be part of the growth of this program."
Caitlin's freshman year was also the first in which Bob and Sherry Migliorini coached North Haven and the further discusses the impact that his "doubles specialist" has had on the Indians' progression.
"Caitlin has been an integral part of our team; she's an aggressive net player who works well with everyone and she and Allie are having a great season," Migliorini says. "Caitlin also has a tremendous work ethic and does a great job of juggling multiple things. She's just a smart, hard-working kid who's a pleasure to coach."
Fencing coach Pete Solomon agrees with Migliorini regarding Caitlin's attitude and athleticism, calling her "an amazing kid who always motivated our younger athletes," and, "a strong defensive fencer who you could never beat when she got a lead."
Caitlin, in turn, says she loves fencing's mental aspect, and how much like tennis, it forces one to think a few steps ahead and set up your opponent to score points.
But the thing Caitlin loves most about fencing, tennis, and music is that all three require one of the most critical components in both sports and life: teamwork.
"Playing music with people is like being on a team in that everyone creates a common goal and you build towards that together," Caitlin says. "And it's a great feeling when you know you always have people there who are willing to help and support you."