Many in Sachem take pride in the term “student-athlete.” It’s not easy balancing a grueling course load and rigorous practice schedule and succeeding at both on the highest level.
Every year there are a handful of students who stand out for their exceptional on-court ability, and even better performance in the classroom. Sachem North’s Rob Steinberg is a shining example of how to succeed in both arenas.
A starting setter on the varsity volleyball squad since his sophomore season, Steinberg who hasn’t missed a varsity start in three years, is close to breaking Sachem’s all-time career assists record.
His coaches will tell you he’s the team’s emotional leader. He is also ranked No. 5 in his class out of 487 students and packs an unweighted GPA of 98.5 and weighted mark of 102.7. He was offered a full academic ride to Hunter College to play volleyball, was accepted to Vassar College and offered a spot on the team there, and offered the Presidential Scholarship and a spot on the squad at Elmira College.
Personally, his top options right now are Villanova, Georgetown, Vassar, UCSD, Elmira, Binghamton and Cornell.
He plans on majoring in biology with a pre-med track, or math with a finance track. He isn’t quite sure what his career goals are yet, but if he goes into medical research he would like to research new treatment methods on different illnesses, and if he chooses math, he would like to be a quantitative analyst on Wall Street. Always thinking, always with a plan, always ready to achieve his goals.
He began playing volleyball in seventh grade as a way to have fun with friends, but then he quickly fell in love with the sport. Since then, he’s been named All-League, All-County, a New York State Scholar Athlete and was Suffolk County’s Rookie of the Year in 2012.
“It’s like another world for me,” he said. “It’s my release. No matter what problems I have or what’s going through my mind throughout the day, everything stops when I get to practice. I just get to play the game that I love and think about nothing else. It’s more than just a game to me.”
It’s no surprise this year’s Sachem North volleyball team is special. At the printing of this story, the Flaming Arrows are 13-0.
“There is an unmatched level of determination on this team, one that you would physically have to experience to understand,” said Steinberg. “We’ve been working our tails off since January with high expectations. The atmosphere around the team during practice is unlike any team I’ve ever been a part of.”
Asked about his team, Steinberg spoke volumes about the guys around him. He credits the non-starters and backups as vital to the team’s success.
“No one sees how the non-starters push us to get better and better each day,” he said. “Knowing you’re not going to be playing in a game, it is easy to slack off in practice because there isn’t much incentive. That’s not the case with this team. These kids come to practice day after day, working harder than any one in the gym.”
Another ingredient to this team’s success is its “bond,” Steinberg says. Their team motto this year is “Band of Brothers.”
“That couldn’t hold truer for any team,” he said. “We do everything together. There’s never a weekend where our team doesn’t get together in some way. We look forward to practice every day just to get back on that court with our brothers. It takes a lot to come to practice every day and force yourself to work hard. But in the case of this team, working hard is second nature when it consists of playing the game you love each and every day with your best friends.”
And their main goal is to bring home a championship. They’re more focused then ever. Steinberg said he’s had his sights set on a title since he entered high school.
“I think about it everyday, how incredible it would be to be able to put our number on the banner and leave a legacy behind that will remain in North forever,” he said. “It would be something I would never forget for the rest of my life. We’ve been working hard to achieve this goal for the past two years, and we will settle for nothing less. It would be so gratifying to leave this school with a championship after all the time and hard work we’ve put in. It’s something I want more than anything else, and I am determined to get there.”
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro