On the first day of the summer of 2023, Andrew Carroll ‘25 set out on a mission: the big chop. Following a lifetime of long bowl cuts and shoulder-length hair, he decided that he needed to make a drastic change. “I would say that it was the influence from my peers for the most part, but also, the quicker drying time out of the shower,” Carroll shares when asked what provoked the choice. Perched on a barber’s chair, Carroll watched not only his hair collect on the floor that early summer day but perhaps, a past version of himself. “It’s a more free lifestyle,” he adds. “My hair is never ever wet and it looks cooler. The biggest change though, I have to say, is that I enjoy haircuts now.” Over the past year, Carroll has gotten his new haircutting experience down to a science. It consists of going in with a number one or two clipper on the sides, taking just a little off the top, and occasionally, while on a break from school, getting a taper fade down to the skin.
A star member of the boy's cross country and track teams at St. Paul’s, Carroll has also spent considerable time reflecting on how his hair transformation has affected his running performance. You may have seen Carroll around campus during his Third and Fourth Form years rocking a baseball hat while on his daily runs, but that practice, too, is gone. “I always hated the hat,” Carroll remarks, “especially in the summertime when it was hot. I had to do it to contain my long hair but now that it's shorter, I am able to run free and really feel the breeze. It is pretty nice.” Carroll has felt this difference translate out onto the track this season. “It definitely cut down on my mile time,” Carroll shares. William Snead, a Penn Fellow on campus and Carroll’s SPS distance running coach adds that “chopping the crop” has improved Carroll’s running performance by making him more aerodynamic. “It is difficult for one to say, however, if his increased aerodynamics outweighs the loss in chill vibes his longer flow produced,” he adds. “Having long hair itself wouldn’t really slow a runner down, but the lack of confidence one might experience due to improper lettuce certainly could.”
Whether it was the difference in wind resistance, comfortability, or confidence – or a mixture of all three – Carroll has found his calling with his new head attire and encourages his peers to follow the lifestyle of their desire. If you are leaning towards the more thoughtful life of the bald, the rebellion of the Rapunzel look, the balance of the bowl cut, or the mysteriousness of a simple short hairstyle, you should do what feels right for you.