As fall sports come to a close, winter athletics like basketball and hockey are in the middle of preseason training.

Girls basketball begins tryouts in November, but some of the girls have been preparing since May. From May to mid-July the players attend camps and leagues like Greg Grant, where they play against girls from other schools. They also have open gym starting in mid-September through the end of October. These captain-run open gyms are five days a week after school and last an hour or two, while the girls scrimmage against one another in order to develop skills for game-like situations.

“Not only are the girls getting better by playing, but they also start bonding,” varsity girls basketball coach and United States History teacher Simon Bato said.

Senior Megan Lenihan played varsity basketball last year and said she attends open gyms to build her endurance and bond with the team.

“It can be really exhausting, but it’s worth it in the end because when the season starts you are already bonding with your teammates and in shape,” Lenihan said.

While coaches cannot legally instruct their teams until tryouts in November, Bato said he comes to the open gyms to support and talk to some of the girls.

“It gives me a chance to get to know some of the girls who have played on either the freshman or jv levels,” Bato said. “By coming to the preseason stuff they actually become better basketball players.”

The coaches encourage more girls to come out and practice.

“We certainly need the numbers,” Bato said.
The preseason training for the boys hockey team is different than the training for the girls basketball team. The team had tryouts during the summer and have practices until the season starts. They have workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays for about an hour and regular practices Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for about an hour and a half.

Many hockey players feel that preseason training is hard work but it also gives them a chance get to know each other. The team can get ready for the season while meeting new people.

“Preseason helps to get to know each other before the actual season starts, so we are all ready [for the regular season],” senior Noah Chimpouras said.

The team conditions on the ice as well with skill training and skating.

“Normally in preseason there is a lot more conditioning and skating drills,” senior varsity player Andrew Davis said.

Even though there is more skating in preseason, some of the players said it is not as intense as the regular season.

“It’s not as competitive as the regular season,” said Chimpouras. “But there’s definitely more skating in the preseason.”

Chimpouras said he thinks this helps to prepare for the real season, when they will have to spend even more time practicing.

“It’s not an enormous deal if people don’t come to preseason training, but I think that it would definitely benefit them,” Davis said.