Girls’ Varsity Crew out on the water for an early-morning practice in Tampa, Florida.
During spring break, most students head home to rest and relax before the spring term. However, some members of spring varsity sports teams ventured on preseason training trips to bond as a team and to get into shape before the season started. Seven teams traveled to warm-weather locations for preseason training, just one year after the Zika virus stopped all but a few teams from taking similar trips. Both the girls’ and boys’ crew, tennis, and lacrosse teams as well as the boys’ baseball team went on preseason trips.
Similar to last spring break, the Girls’ Lacrosse team traveled to the Southwest, but this year they went to Nevada instead of Arizona. The team worked with a lacrosse organizing group, Trilogy Lacrosse, and the facility they stayed at was within walking distance of both an outdoor practice field and an indoor practice field, in case of bad weather.
During the trip, the girls practiced the fundamentals of lacrosse to prepare for tryouts the following week. Ms. Courtney DeStefano, the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse head coach, said of the trip, “As a true preseason trip — meaning that it was a non-evaluative trip — the goal was to get the girls ready for tryouts the following week. We worked a lot on conditioning, stick work, basic offensive skills, and basic defensive skills.”
The trip also provided the team an opportunity to bond before the season started. Co-captain Julia MacKenzie ’19 said, “Everyone had a really great time and enjoyed the warmer weather. It was a perfect way to kick off the season and get a sense of how everyone plays. Getting a head start on team-bonding has proven to be very beneficial to our team dynamic on and off the field.”
Instead of joining the Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team in Nevada, the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team went to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. They trained at the St. Stephen’s St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Virginia, and played games against five lacrosse teams in the area.
Head coach Mr. Michael Velez ’00 explained some of the team’s non-lacrosse related activities. “Off the field, the highlight was a tour of the Capitol with Ashley Callen ’95, which gave us the opportunity to hear how Ashley’s Choate experience helped her enter a career in politics.” Ms. Callen is a Chief Counsel for Investigations/Staff. He continued, “During the visit, the team had the chance to go out on the floor of the House of Representatives and the Speaker’s Balcony.”
Mr. Velez added, “Overall, it was a successful week. We made significant strides on the field and built a solid foundation heading into the highly-competitive New England Prep School lacrosse league that awaits us this spring.”
After having preseason in Atlanta last year because of the Zika virus, members of the Boys’ Baseball team returned to their usual destination in Vero Beach, Florida. They practiced and played games against other teams almost every day. During their downtime, the boys were able to spend time at the beach, and they even caught a Mets spring training game.
When asked about the team’s trip, Head Coach Mr. Scott Wosleger responded,“We played several games and played very well against some very good competition. On and off the field, the boys represented Choate very well. People we crossed paths with during the trip were impressed by their character and behavior.”
In addition to the Boys’ Baseball team, the Girls’ and Boys’ Tennis teams ventured to Florida for a week of preseason training. Both teams practiced at the Saddlebrook Resort because of the resort’s large set of tennis courts. The players played tennis for five hours each day, and also played matches against each other. When they were not playing tennis, the teams enjoyed relaxing by the pool or going to nearby Tampa Bay.
Boys’ Varsity Tennis player Alex Coletti ’20 said of the trip, “I enjoyed preseason. I went there with a few things that needed to be improved, and I felt like the preseason helped. I definitely felt more confident when I left.”
Girls’ Tennis player Serena Levin ’20 also expressed the sentiment that the preseason trip was a success. Levin said, “I enjoyed my experience at preseason. I think that I improved a lot in tennis, and I also met new people, which was nice.”
Last year, the Girls’ and Boys’ Crew teams were not able to find a destination for a preseason trip, but this year they went to the Tampa Stewards Rowing Foundation, in Tampa, Florida, for preseason. The warm weather in Florida allowed for numerous hours of rowing on the water each day. In these sessions, the rowers focused on both technique and fitness so that they could be prepared for the season.
Co-captain Lila Kirchhoff ’18 said, “We had two practices on the water a day, and outside of practice, we mostly just hung out as a team and explored the part of Tampa we were in. I think we all had a really positive experience over preseason.” She added, “The workouts were challenging, but put us in a good position going into the season.”
John Burt ’18, a member of Boys’ Varsity Crew, explained, “We rowed twice a day in the morning and afternoon with time in between to relax at the pool or hangout with friends. We bonded as a team and had a great experience overall.”
During their preseason training trips, the members of the lacrosse, baseball, tennis, and crew teams certainly got ready for the season while bonding as a team. This spring, these teams will try to carry their momentum from their preseasons into a successful season.
