The shimmer of gym lights on a freshly swept basketball court.
The soft thud of a dancer’s feet as they swirl across a mat.
The rush of adrenaline as a winning wrestler pins their opponent.
Students associate all these sensations and more with the winter sports season, now just around the corner. This next page in the story of athletics, however, is more than a sensation. It means expectations, challenges, opportunities, tension and excitement.
As head coach for the girls basketball program, Alec Elliot is ready to dive into the adventure that is the upcoming season.
“I think we have a great group of kids, and that has nothing to do with basketball,” Elliot said. “We spend a lot of time together over Thanksgiving and winter break. Where most people are on vacation with their families or traveling to go somewhere, we stay home and practice. I absolutely love the coaching staff, because although practices are two and a half hours, we spend a lot more time together, watching film and scouting games. Being with people that you enjoy being with is really, really important.”
Elliot is enthusiastic about several of his players taking on bigger roles, strengthening both the team as a whole and their individual skills.
“Lola Woodburn , Laney Weaver and Adrian Adams [will] be taking on bigger roles. I think they will need to collectively step up so it’s a challenge in front of them, and I think they know it’s in front of them. I’m excited to see how they do with that,” Elliot said.
The last couple months, Elliot has been conducting open gyms for any athletes wanting to prepare for the season.
“Those are hit or miss, because, for example, if you play volleyball, I really don’t want you rolling your ankle in basketball. I don’t care if you come and shoot, but I’m not gonna let you play or do anything that would jeopardize you getting hurt,” Elliot said. “Think the biggest thing we try to do is just create opportunities. We try to do what we can to prepare.”
Elliot sees tryouts as one of the hardest parts of his job, especially creating the most well-balanced team possible in the midst of difficult decisions and cuts.
“You want to give every athlete everything they want, but it’s not your job to cater to an athlete. It’s your job to cater to what’s best for the program. So, with that, means there’s always tough conversations. As a coach, the hardest part is that decision making, which oftentimes can lead to upset feelings,” Elliot said.
It’s not often that students stay at the school until midnight, but that’s just what the team does during their annual lock-in.
“After we select teams and stuff, we’ll typically do a lock in for a night. We have practice till seven, we’ll do goal setting, watch a movie together, eat snacks, and hang out till like midnight. It’s a fun just get together, a way to enjoy each other’s company,” Elliot said.
Every program has traditions, and girls dance is no different. Head coach Arianna Schultz, along with assistant coach Moriah Lanniciello, have created several traditions that will be upheld for years to come.
“We’ve been starting a few more over the last couple years, because I got a new assistant coach last year, and she’s been good about helping us get those going. Last year, before every competition, we would make sure that we had muffins and fruit for all the girls. After the competitions, they really like to go to like a team dinner. We’re also making a new team chant this year, which is such a little thing, but it really helps them get in their element before they go on,” Schultz said.
Dance routines provide an opportunity to invoke creativity in both the dancers and the coaches. This year, the girls decided to theme it around celebrity Dolly Parton.
“I have been in the dance world for 15 years now, and I’ve never seen Dolly Parton done, so we’re going to be the first ones to do it. It’s brand new,” Schultz said. “I’m super excited, because it’s like a whole vision coming to life for them.”
The team always has new hurdles to jump, this year’s being an increasing team size and four routines needing to fit into three practices a week.
“We increased our team size by double this year. Last year we had 13, this year we have 27,” Schultz said. “Having four routines, it’s gonna be a challenge. How do we manage doing four routines and giving each routine what it deserves in limited time?”
But the high expectations of both girls and coaches will carry them through this season, bringing them closer together as a team.
“This year is super exciting to get to work with, because they want to be there and they want to work hard, so they’re pushing our returning girls to actually work harder.” Schultz said.
Basketball and Dance aren’t the only sports putting a focus on team spirit. Boys swim, coached by Casi Messino, emphasizes strong bonds between athletes and a unity of the program as a whole.
“Last year’s team was truly one of the nicest group of kids as a whole. It was just such a chill, nice season, and most of those kids are back this year. We didn’t lose very many seniors, so I’m really excited to see the older boys to pass that down,” Messineo said. “It’s cool to watch when they all come together on a team.”
Every year, the team chooses a theme, and this year’s is centered around the trident.
“[I’ll] make them tridents out of PVC pipe that they use to do a bugle call at the end of our cheer,” Messineo said. “The cheer is actually one that my son wrote when he graduated, when he swam for me in 2016. At the end of it, they blow through their tridents and make a glorious sound. It hypes everyone up.”
As for traditions, swim isn’t in the shallow end of the pool.
“Santa does make an appearance at practice over winter break. We do the 12 days of Christmas leading up to that. We also have Navy SEAL day, where we get in and do some Navy SEAL type training over winter break,” Messineo said.
With the appearance of upcoming freshman and returning swimmers, the team seems to be gaining an added layer of depth.
“We have a ton of new freshmen, so I’m really excited to see what they’ve got. Some kids that haven’t been on the team for a few years [are] coming back, so I’m excited to see how they’ve grown. It’s going to be a fast season,” Messineo said.
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