Preseason: An Intense Yet Fun Welcome Back to School

The main purpose of preseason is, foremost, physical preparation and athletic acclimatization. Volleyball Captain Kelsey Reichart ‘27 states that preseason “allows us to shake off any rust,” with teammate Marguerite Pennington’28 specifically noting that “this time of year helps make sure that we’re active and ready to play again.” Reichart further describes how dynamic the volleyball team’s

practices are, which range from “small group [and] partner drills to secure the basic skills every day” to “larger game play and serve & receive practice.” Teammate Cate Vincent ’29 adds that, while she is

looking forward to what the regular season has to offer, from “bus rides to games and team dinners,” she and the rest of the team are hard at “work on hitting lines and passing drills” in the summertime.

Likewise, Maxwell Alderman ‘27, a member of the Football team, notes
that preseason training is “vital for getting conditioning up to speed [and] familiarizing players with play calls.” Boys Soccer Captain Henry Schlag ’27 says, “We do a lot of conditioning [during preseason]. It’s
also a great way to shake off some rust by playing competitive soccer and high intensity drills.” Captain Tommy Pont Strong ’28 agrees, adding that coaches assess the different skill levels among their players: “Preseason, of course, is primarily focused on conditioning and selecting the varsity players before the season begins.”

An important pillar of preseason is reconnecting with peers after the summer. Pennington highlights preseason’s ability to “help us get hyped for the upcoming season,” adding that “it’s very nice to see everyone again and find our community and new members.” Indeed,
Dylan Mulligan ’28 recognized preseason as a chance to “improve [himself] while meeting and seeing the new players on the team,” with Alderman declaring that “competition games after practice” enable “competitiveness [while being] a good way to end practice and cheer on teammates.”

Additionally, for new Hilltoppers, preseason can shape the first community that they feel a part of upon coming to Hopkins. Field Hockey player Annabel O’Malley ’28 recalls, “I was new to Hopkins coming into preseason in freshman year, and I met some of my best friends through the team.” Similarly, Vincent says, “The weeks leading up to the regular season help new members integrate into the team.” Reflecting on her own experience, she mentioned that she

felt “so nervous” during her first preseason but that “the team was so encouraging and patient with [her] and helped [her] feel more confident and learn to just have fun.” Jemma Grauer ’28, from the Field Hockey team, summarized this bonding: “While running sprints at 9am in the blasting sun of summer can be physically tough, it helps bring the team together.”

Teams also observe special traditions during preseason. On the Field Hockey team, Julia Grauer ’27 described a unique tradition between younger and upperclassmen teammates: “During preseason last year, we upperclassmen organized a ‘big sister - little sister’ pairing between the underclassmen and each of us... I think it was a thoughtful effort to make sure that all of our younger players had a designated returning field hockey player to come to or just get to know better.”

Whether it is getting fired up with teammates before a big game or simply enjoying a team dinner surrounded by both familiar faces and new ones, preseason is a crucial time of the year for student-athletes
at Hopkins. Grauer summed up preseason’s importance: “Our inner-team relationships extend beyond the two hours we spend together on the turf every day, and that the friendships we have formed through blisteringly hot days... have made us a family.”