The Summer Camp Varsity Advantage
NEIRAD enilno edition
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Summer normally signals a break from sports, but many lucky students get to continue their fall sports through the summer to stay in shape for their upcoming season. Captains from each fall sport talked to Neirad regarding their summer camp schedule.
Field Hockey: Field Hockey coach Mo Minicus required the entire team, minus incoming freshman to attend a "team camp" during the summer at Dartmouth College. This year, for the first time, incoming freshman also had their own team camp. “However, players also did their own things during the summer, besides team camp, to get ready for the season,” senior captain Taylor Wells said. The girls also had a pre-season camp at DHS, the week before pre season started, which all players were expected to attend. Although the girls had a lot of practice time during the summer, it does not affect varsity spots says Wells, “Our coach picks the varsity team off of a clean slate each year. Any player on varsity one year is not guaranteed a spot the next year.” The Field Hockey team is coming back strong this fall to defend their State Title.
Boy’s Cross Country: The Boy’s Track Team did not hold a camp during the summer, but on occasion, a few runners met up at the high school in the morning to run. “We had a very intricate training schedule to follow over the off season,” senior captain Jake McCauley said. Although there was a preseason held, it was not mandatory. Nothing hurt a runner’s chance at varsity, as it was based upon their performance throughout the regular season.
Girl’s Cross Country: Girls’ track Coach Steve “Norrie” Norris hosted a camp for eight days in Vermont in late August. The camp involved all sorts of running as well as cross-training such as biking and swimming. They took 10-mile runs, did triathalons, and took a canoe trip, and fit team bonding into their down time. The “Norrie Camp” is not mandatory for the female runners, but “is basically just a fun little push to get you in shape for the season but in reality no, it does not affect your position on the team,” senior captain Kelly Brophy explained. Varsity is determined by the order of race finishes—the team is made up of the top 7 runners on the team.
Football: The football team attended Westchester University Wing-T Camp in Western Pennsylvania, which is a style of offense. About 40 players attended the camp, which included non-varsity players. The camp ran from June 22nd to the 25th. “As a team we also lifted in the weight room every day in the early morning hours. It was not mandatory but every body went anyway because it is meant for team building,” senior captain Michael Wohlberg said.
Swimming & Diving: The swimmers come back strong from the summer because most girls swim for clubs in their time off. To prepare further, at the end of July, there was a swim camp that ran at Woodway Country Club through mid/late August which is run by DHS boys varsity football coach Rob Trifone. It was not mandatory, but almost everyone attended at least two weeks of the camp. “We try to get girls who don’t swim year round to attend all four weeks because it’s crucial to starting off the season well instead of wasting weeks of our season trying to get everyone back in shape,” senior captain Andrea Smelser said. Then at the end of August, the whole team, barring freshman, went on a training trip to Block Island. “For three days we run, bike, swim, and get some team bonding in,” Smelser explained. Although they only have varsity team, not attending camp may hurt the chance of making the team if a swimmer was not in shape enough to have performed well at tryouts. The swimmers and divers come back to school well prepared for season, due to their rigorous summer camps.
Girl’s Soccer: Most of the girl’s soccer team traveled to Eastern Soccer Academy in Massachusetts to an optional overnight camp three weeks before tryouts started. “It really is a time for underclassmen to assimilate themselves into the program, and start to form new relationships with older players,” senior captain Liz Calby said. After the residential camp, there were two weeks of preseason camp before tryouts were held at DHS. “These are even more strongly recommended. As a result, these camps have a much stronger attendance, especially with the younger crowd who may not have done the Eastern camp,” senior captain Cat Thomas said.
Boy’s Soccer: The boys’ soccer team held camps during the summer, but they weren’t mandatory. There were four different programs available to participate in, in Darien, and they were strongly recommended. The most important of these four was the preseason camp that ran for the 2 weeks before school began. “Again, attending this camp was strongly advised, but not mandatory,” stressed senior captain Robbie Shindler. There were some devoted players who dedicated their summer time to play on travel or premier teams during the offseason to stay on their game. These players had an advantage, as they were more prepared for preseason and tryouts.
Volleyball: Volleyball coach LaRusso does not require the girl’s team to do camps, although she strongly recommends that the girls participate in them. During the summer, the team attended two sessions of Volleyball Camp at Bentley University in Massachusetts. “The camps our team attends are for the whole team to create depth and to increase the team’s overall success. Our team is much smaller than many other teams so it's a great time for team bonding and improvement,” senior captain Colby Billhardt said. Any players who do not do camps are encouraged to work out throughout the summer. No player was punished for not attending a camp, but they were simply less prepared. Any players who did not do camps were encouraged to work out throughout the summer. “Whether its running, sprint training, weight lifting or personal trainers, they are constantly preparing for the upcoming season,” Billhardt explained.
Cheerleading: The cheerleaders did not attend a camp, but they hired a professional from a company to come to the high school to work with them during the first week before school started. “By hiring someone, they can work with us on a more individual basis and get to know each girl and her strengths and weaknesses better,” senior captain Meg Murphy said. This camp was not optional; Murphy stressed that because they hired an expert, all girls were expected to attend. If they were not able to attend, there is less of a chance for them to be chosen for a spot on the competition team for the winter season, and Murphy said that it showed lack of dedication.
Each sport went about their summer preparations in a different way, but let’s hope they go about mastering their seasons in the same way!
Read a preview of each fall sport by Meg Murphy in the print issue of Neirad. See page 8.
