2024 Preseason Paves The Way For Success
Courtesy of @phillipsexeter
By ISABEL EVANS, ELLEN JIN, and ETHAN LU
Preseason athletes were among the first groups of students to return to campus for the 2024-25 school year. Representing seven different sports, the athletes arrived about a week early to get to know their teammates and coaches and begin practicing together. Throughout the week, each team had the chance for its members to bond with one another and learn how to play together efficiently, building trust and comradery for the new season.
The practice schedule was standard across the sports, alternating days with one or two practices, which gave coaches ample opportunity to assess the level of the team and its components.
“The plan going into preseason was to run a positive week-long camp that gave us time to see them progress and ‘get better,’” girls’ varsity volleyball coach Bruce Shang said. “It allows us 10 practices a week to make an informed decision about the student-athletes we would keep on Varsity. It also allowed the new students a way to get ready for the school year.”
Girls’ varsity soccer coach Diego Ardura said, “We had a chance to have an intra-squad scrimmage. I enjoyed seeing the players feel more and more comfortable combining with each other on the field.”
The coaches placed special emphasis on building a team community and welcoming the new athletes. Ardura added, “Our main objective as a coaching staff was to focus on team bonding. We had a good group of new players interested in the program, and we wanted to make sure that the new and returning players felt a strong sense of team as quickly as possible.”
Girls’ varsity field hockey coach Samatha Fahey applied the same ideas to her team. “Every preseason is the first opportunity that the new group comes together, it’s exciting! It’s a balance of learning how to play with each other while bringing any new players up to speed. This year, I knew I would have an evenly split group, and I relied heavily on our returners to get everyone on the same page.”
Cross country, among the others, worked to foster that same sense of community and competition readiness. Coaches also worked to prepare students for school as well as games.
“Preseason helped a lot with team building and giving a chance to start new relationships with some of the strongest and smartest athletes I’ve ever met,” prep Bo Howland-Vlahakis said.
The team worked together to push themselves for the team aspect and participated in team building and relationship forming. Along with frequent practice, the team spent a lot of time together, helping new students adjust socially and for teammates to meet new additions.
Lower Rose Mallory agreed, saying, “We bonded through stickball games during free time and nightly team dinners. As a new student on the team, this was the perfect way to start my Exeter experience. I got to know the campus and my dorm, and met many students during that week.”
Overall, preseason was a positive experience, especially for new students who hadn’t yet adjusted to a self-regulated schedule.
Rose added, “It gave me a chance to get used to a more structured schedule, preparing me for the upcoming class days. I’m very happy I decided to attend.”
Boys water polo was yet another team that fully utilized the preseason week to develop its players through strenuous training regiments, in addition to building team chemistry.
Prep Owen Lee commented, “I had a lot of people such as lowers and a lot of uppers and seniors help me navigate my way around campus. So preseason really helped me integrate myself into my dorm and the team.”
Senior captain Winston Wang added, “I think for water polo, since it’s a team sport, preseason kind of gave us the opportunity to really build team chemistry and, you know, feel confident about our upcoming games.”
Head coach Don Mills and assistant coach Meg Blitzshaw agreed, expressing excitement for future games. Mills noted, “The team got themselves up to speed relatively quickly. I enjoyed getting into our scrimmages and seeing how the team played together.”
Blitzshaw added, “The energy is great and it’s fun to be moving into our normal schedule with league games on the horizon to prep for and be excited about.”
Overall, the goal of preseason is to help athletes adjust to campus and form relationships with new students. They do so through practices and scheduled community time. This experience helped many prepare their game mentalities, adjust to school schedules, and form social connections before classes and other arrivals. The students who participated believe they have formed a special bond with teammates and feel well-prepared for the rest of the year.
