A number of Peddie teams took part in spring preseason activities over spring break in an attempt to prepare for the upcoming season.

The locations, predetermined by the coaches, were various.  Baseball and softball players traveled to the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Disney World, and scrimmaged against teams from all over the United States. Varsity crew went to train at the Occoquan River in Virginia.  Girls’ lacrosse ventured to Baltimore to practice. Golf, tennis, track and field, and boys’ lacrosse did not have any preseason.

Each athlete who participates in preseason pays their own fee, and financial aid is confidentially dealt with when necessary. The attendance at preseason varied; softball had nearly all members of their team present, while boys’ crew was missing a large portion of their team.

The preseason experience can be described as challenging, exciting, and fun.

The goal of preseason is “to get the team together and start training as a group,” Director of Athletics Jason Baseden said. “It is important to physically prepare the body for (their) sport.  It is also important to have the team together as soon as possible for team bonding. The chemistry of the team is paramount to their success.”

Crew’s training consisted of rowing 20-30 kilometers a day, split between two sessions, adding up to a total of four hours of training per day.

Nicholas Coury ’17 stated that preseason allowed him to “work on smaller technical details that would have been more difficult to practice during the regular season.”

The boys’ baseball team scrimmaged in Florida (the team went 1-2), and got to visit Disney parks each night.

“Preseason was a great way to get ready for the season, and bond with all of the boys on the team,” Anthony Spadaccini ’18 said.

The girls’ lacrosse team visited the Baltimore Zoo, trained, and played a game against The John Carroll School.

“Preseason helped me get a better feeling of how the team worked together on the field, and after the trip I felt that the team was a lot closer than before,” Samantha Scott ’18 said.

Softball player Emily Hattman ’18 echoed Scott’s remark and added that the Florida weather was a nice way to end spring break.

Spring athletics begin next week for all Peddie teams.