Girls’ Crew row on the water in DeLand, Florida.
Spring preseason training had been a long-standing tradition at Choate prior to the outbreak of Covid-19. Unlike other preseason trips in the fall and winter, athletes had the opportunity to travel outside of Connecticut to bond as a team and develop their technique. This year, seven Choate sports teams visited fields, lakes, and courts across the country for training.
One of the greatest benefits of preseason training is the opportunity for team building. Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse player Elsa Haakonsen ’24, who went to Orlando, Florida, said, “My favorite thing about it was being able to get that bonding with the team before the season actually started, and then when we came back to Connecticut for tryouts, it already felt like we were a team, and it was a lot more cohesive than it would have been without preseason.”
Boys’ Varsity Baseball also attended preseason training in Orlando. New pitcher Jeter Andrews ’26 said that spring training helped “get the chemistry going” within the team. “We went swimming, we went out to eat, we went shopping,” said Andrews about the team’s activities outside of practice. Beyond the opportunity to bond with teammates, athletes faced fierce competition from other teams. “It was nice to play other teams from places outside of Connecticut to see more competition,” Andrews said.
Girls’ and Boys’ Crew trained at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. Similar to Haakonsen, Brecken Cullinan ’24 emphasized the importance of this trip for “building relationships with team members,” especially because being a successful rowing team requires rowers to be in sync.
In addition to having multiple training sessions each day, the team enjoyed time at the beach and at an escape room. Cullinan noted that one challenge of the training was the “humidity in Florida, which [made] it hard for rowing.” She said, “My hands got pretty scraped up. Because you’re rowing so often, twice a day for a week, it messes up your hands.”
Unlike most teams that experienced warm weather in Florida, Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and trained with lacrosse organization NXT Lacrosse. Boys’ Lacrosse planned many team-bonding events, including a Dave & Busters trip, a night of bowling, and a Philadelphia Flyers game. With many opportunities for the team to grow closer, Ian Franasiak ’25 felt like “everyone was being themselves … there was no real competitiveness with lacrosse.”
While players were incredibly excited for the return of preseason trips post-pandemic, Girls’ Varsity Tennis player Maddie Chia ’23 had a bittersweet perspective. For many teams, this is the first time in a few years that Choate has been able to field trips of this kind. Girls’ Varsity Tennis attended preseason at Saddlebrook Resort in Tampa, Florida. Saddlebrook Resort, which houses a tennis academy, offers extensive facilities for athletes, including 43 tennis courts and a fitness center. “It’s really sad, honestly, because I would have loved to do this all four years,” Chia said.
Nevertheless, Chia said that it added to the fun of her senior spring and set the team up for the official season. “Everyone who went, for the most part, hadn’t played tennis since last season … [preseason] was good for us cause it gave us that time to shake off the rust before the actual season,” she said.
Spring preseason training for Choate’s student-athletes is a great way for teams to bond and get extra training in before the season starts, while also increasing players’ confidence in themselves and their team. “I think the biggest takeaway would be how important it is to play as a team and play into the whole idea of being a team and being there for your teammates,” Chia said.
Reflecting on a successful preseason trip with Girls’ and Boys’ Crew, Cullinan said, “I’m really excited about the team and the speed we have this year and our ambition. I think we have done a lot of good work, and I’m excited to see what more we can do.”
