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07/16/2020 12:00 AMAlthough he was always motivated to make it, Laekhram Singh didn’t think that he would ever actually be a part of a varsity team. However, after entering North Haven High School, Laekhram wound up competing at the varsity level in two sports, while earning some major accolades and serving as a captain for both of them.
Laekhram, a Class of 2020 graduate, was a member of the boys’ fencing and tennis squads at North Haven High School. Laekhram started playing tennis at North Haven Health & Racquet Club when he was seven after being inspired to try to the sport by his sister Dushala Surujnarain, an alum of the girls’ tennis team who graduated in 2012. Laekhram and his sister spent a lot of time playing tennis together, and he learned a great deal about the game as a result.
“She was able to teach me the basics of the sport. She was able to encourage me and really show me what the sport was. She introduced it to me after all,” Laekhram says of his sister. “It was great having an older sibling and spending time with her that way. It was another way me and my sister have connected.”
Laekhram also practiced with various trainers at North Haven Health & Racquet in order to improve his skills on the court. When he started high school, Laekhram began to realize how much he enjoyed tennis as he played with a group of new teammates who would become his friends.
Laekhram quickly found out that the level of competition was more difficult than he expected on the high school circuit. Rather than get down about that, Laekhram continued to work hard both during the season and in the offseason to become a varsity player. Laekhram was predominantly a doubles player during his time at North Haven, competing out of the No. 3 slot in his final campaign as a junior.
“For me, doubles was much more entertaining, much more exhilarating, and really just so much more enjoyable than singles,” says Laekhram. “Having a partner to feed off of, but also support yourself and talk to before and after every point to help each other grow, was my experience in tennis. After I joined the team, I just kept going because of doubles. I can have someone there to enjoy it with.”
Laekhram also competed for the boys’ fencing team at North Haven. Laekhram never fenced prior to high school, but had been interested in swordplay from a young age, and wanted to give the sport a shot. Laekhram competed in épée, which is the largest and heaviest of the three fencing blades.
Laekhram started fencing épée for North Haven’s varsity squad in his sophomore year. As a senior, he took fifth place in the épée division at the Individual State Championships and went on to help the boys’ épée team finish in first place as a team in states. In 2019, Laekhram competed at both the Junior Olympics and the USA Fencing National Championships.
“Similar to tennis, during my freshman year, I wanted to be involved during the offseason, as well. I started taking private lessons and spending a lot of my time in the sport. I found I had a natural talent,” Laekhram says. “I noticed a growth. Freshman to sophomore year was a huge jump for me in terms of my abilities as a fencer. Seeing that growth, I spent time focusing on footwork and bladework and kept working at it. Senior year, it was my dream to win team states, and we accomplished it, me and my friends.”
In his senior year, Laekhram was named a captain for North Haven’s fencing and tennis teams. Although North Haven couldn’t play tennis this spring due to COVID-19, Laekhram took his role of captain seriously in both sports and felt that earning that title proved how all of his hard work had been worth it.
“It was an honor to be chosen as a leader. One of the things I hold dear to my heart is helping others. My ability to just work and the dedication I put into helping others is important to me. I’ve put countless hours into being there and helping my teammates in life and in sports,” says Laekhram. “Having that leadership and being able to help them even more and being given that leadership means quite a lot to me. I enjoyed being a captain for fencing, and I know I would have enjoyed it that much more in tennis, as well.”
Laekhram takes pride in how he was able to display his versatility by playing varsity in two sports. Along the way, Laekhram improved his skills in each while creating strong bonds with two different sets of teammates. Laekhram says that he didn’t think individual-based sports could “have such a familial atmosphere.”
For college, Laekhram will be attending John Hopkins University in Maryland, where he will major in neuroscience with a goal of becoming a neurosurgeon. Laekhram isn’t planning on playing tennis at the school, but hopes to continue with fencing.
Laekhram never thought that he would be named a captain for two varsity teams. He also didn’t think that he would ever win a state championship. What Laekhram knew for sure, though, was that he was determined to one day compete in the varsity ranks. As he gets ready for the next chapter of his life, Laekhram feels proud that he made a name for himself as a varsity athlete at North Haven High School.
“I never expected to be an athlete, if I’m being frank. When I was younger, I didn’t expect to compete at a varsity level at all. I’ve always been motivated to and always worked for it, but I didn’t expect I’d ever be at that level,” Laekhram says. “When I was able to fulfill my dreams and my hopes, it was like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. It’s amazing.”