By contributing editor Jillian Shuttlleworth

The Cape Cod Chronicle 4/26/2001

HARWICH – This weeks Athlete of the Week is Tommy Leach. Tommy is a junior at Harwich High School. He has a hectic schedule, as he is involved in many different things, including being captain of the sailing team.

Tommy said he has been "sailing forever", which may be true. In the summer he works as an instructor at Stone Horse Yacht Club in Harwich Port. He’s also plays soccer and ice hockey since the second grade. He joined the varsity soccer team towards the end of his sophomore season and has played hockey at the varsity level throughout high school. Next year he will be a captain on each of those teams.

In school, Tommy says his favorite subject is math because "you always learn something new and challenging". He is also a member of the student council and the junior class representative to the school committee. Tommy is also involved with the town natural resources department (his father is harbormaster) and frequently volunteers his time as an environmental intern.

As far as the future, Tommy is intending to major in engineering and attend a college with a good engineering program as well as a sailing team. Right now he is looking at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, the Coast Guard Academy and Tufts University. Tommy’s post-college goal is to be successful and have a good career.

This summer Tommy will be attending the summer seminar at the Naval Academy. He is still waiting to find out if he was accepted into the summer seminar at the Coast Guard Academy. He is also looking forward to taking some time off from his busy schedule.

For fun, Tommy loves to surf (he just returned from his annual trip to Cape Hatteras). He likes to hang out with his friends, too. Tommy also skateboards and snowboards in the winter.

Tommy thinks that this year’s sailing season is going really well for Harwich, which has loss only one race. He said he is positive and confident about the rest of the season. Tommy said that the team won’t be losing anyone at the end of this season so the others teams better be ready for Harwich next year. His goals as captain for the team for the rest of this season are for them to qualify for New Englands (the national qualifiers that are by invitation only, based on resume), make nationals, not lose any other races, and to have fun.

Tommy is a high honor student, a member of the National Honor Society, a star athlete, and a beach bum (a good thing). He remains involved in as many things as he can, but still mananges to have fun.

(editorial note: Tom received an LOA (10/2/01) and letter of acceptance from USCGA on (12/7/01). He received a nomination for appointment to the Naval Academy from Senator Edward M. Kennedy on January 7, 2002)