An English major, senior Blanca Fromm loves reading great literature and plans to be a lawyer. Her sister, Julie Fromm, a junior, would rather spend her time unlocking the mysteries of science and is majoring in chemistry with the aim of going to medical school. What they share, however, is a love of the sport of soccer and the way it allows them to be competitive -- not with each other but together, as members of Yale's women's varsity soccer team.
"It's great to be outside in the fields and to feel the grass under my feet," says Julie Fromm, who plays right halfback for the team. "Plus, playing soccer is the one activity I do that really takes my mind off of school; while I'm playing, I don't have to worry about homework. I can't really imagine life without a sport."
That relief from stress is also one of the rewards that being an athlete brings to Blanca Fromm, the Yale team's left halfback, who says she enjoys the "overt competition that it allows, which is a nice change from the more subtle academic competition that can sometimes exist on a college campus."
The Fromm sisters began playing soccer as children in Altadena, California, and became increasingly involved at a competitive level. By middle school, they were playing for the school team while also perfecting their footwork as members of a girls' soccer club, often spending part of their summers honing their skills in the sport. They were also teammates in high school.
Currently among the top 20 college teams in the country, the Yale women's soccer team enjoyed a highly successful season last year, and Blanca and Julie Fromm are hoping for an even more impressive record this year. Playing the sport at the varsity level, they note, involves a major commitment all year long.
"We practice six days a week for no less than two hours a day," explains Blanca. During the off-season, their training includes agility running and weight lifting, an exercise regimen they frequently start at 6 a.m.
"Playing a sport is a very redeeming thing in that if you put in the work, it will pay off -- like anything in life," says Blanca Fromm.
Their shared love of the game and competitive spirits aside, the sisters have very different styles of playing on the field, they say.
"Julie's very defensive-minded and is more aggressive in terms of scrapping around at all costs to the get the ball," says Blanca Fromm.
"And she's more offensive," says Julie Fromm of her sister, who is just several assists short of breaking Yale's record for assists in a career.
Given the amount of time the Fromms must devote to their sport, it is not surprising that most of their social life revolves around the game. "Even off the field, and even off-season, we and our teammates like to hang out with each other," says Julie Fromm, who lives in Morse College and frequently travels across the campus to visit her sister, a resident of Silliman College.
Sometime before she graduates, Julie Fromm would like to find the time to become involved in some other campus activity for the fun of it, while Blanca Fromm says that she occasionally manages to be involved with her college's Student Activities Committee.
In the meantime, they're satisfied to remain passionate about soccer, and they'd especially love to win this year's Ivy title. For Blanca Fromm, that kind of team victory is more important than breaking any individual records. "We're still in contention for the title," she comments. "It's a very tangible goal for us."