Many October sports begin tryouts including girls and boys basketball, wrestling, and swim and dive. As the coaches and players plan for their seasons ahead, they work hard in the pre-season to prepare for competition against their upcoming opponents. Coaches provide their players with words of encouragement and motivation as they attend lifts, meetings, and team bonding.
Basketball is one of the most anticipated athletic seasons at Wesleyan. Both the boys and girls teams practice daily, preparing for tough matchups against rival schools. Coaches push the players to build speed, teamwork, and endurance, while athletes work on perfecting their shots and team relationships. Preseason is all about conditioning and learning plays, which set the foundation for strong performances later. Team goals often include improving records from previous year, making the playoffs, or simply working better as a unit.
When focusing on the season ahead, girls basketball coach, Ellen Paroli said, “While handling adversity in the pre-season, we believe that the more challenging something is, the larger the payoff is. Some people run away from challenges and when things are difficult, but we try to really press into that so that people acknowledge the benefit of doing difficult things and how that is forming them into a certain type of person.” Paroli strengthens the team by facing challenges head on and accepting the hard times. She said that as long as the team sticks together, “they will persevere and push their limits.” Junior Grace McLeod spoke about the role she takes on during the season. “Since I’m an upperclassman this year, I need to encourage the team and make sure that we feel confident in practices and games. My role is also to be a lead scorer on the team and push myself when I’m on the court.” Being an upperclassman automatically puts McLeod in a leadership position, and the team leans on her when they need extra encouragement. Like McLeod, Junior Ralph Sanders said his goal as a team leader is “maintain and add to the positive culture of Wesleyan basketball.”
Wrestling is a unique winter sport, in comparison to basketball and swim and dive. It’s all about strength, discipline, and strategy. Wrestlers train hard to meet the weight requirement, develop technique, and prepare mentally for one-on-one competition. Preseason often means extra conditioning and drills for the athletes to sharpen their skills before meets begin. Many wrestlers also set personal goals, like earning a certain number of wins or qualifying for tournaments, while the team as a whole works toward building a reputation of being both strong and respectable. When asking Assistant Director of Athletics and social sciences teacher Dennis Stromie about his message to his team, he said, “You’re always going to go against someone better, that’s life. You’re not always going to be the best, but you always need to participate and do the best you can.” Stromie encourages his team to get involved in all opportunities Wesleyan has to offer before it’s too late. The boys wrestling team does a lot of pre-season bonding such as movies, dinners, and community service projects. Their goal is to help those in need while building up their team. Senior Chris Gentner said, “I enjoy team bonding with my team because it unites us and helps us support each other.”
Swim and Dive are also big highlights of the winter season. Meets test athletes in speed, form, and teamwork. Swimmers spend hours perfecting their strokes, while divers practice precision and perfection as they flip and twist off the diving boards. Pre-season training is intense, with laps, dry-land workouts, and technique drills designed to improve endurance. Some athletes like to train together in the off-season. Sophomore Juliana Lamas said, “I like to train with teammates because I think they push me to my fullest potential.” Training with teammates helps athletes push harder and motivates them to keep going. Teams often set group goals like breaking school records, improving relay times, or qualifying for championships. Both girls and boys swim and dive teams have won the state championship the past two years and intend to keep their streak alive. Of course, nerves before meets can be a big problem for any swimmer or diver. When dealing with those nerves, Lamas said, “Before a meet, I try to not really think too hard about what I am about to do in swimming because I know no matter the time I can finish the race, and I just try to stay positive and think of all the hard work we have put in and push myself to go as fast as I can.”
Whether you’re competing on the court, in the pool, on the mat, or cheering from the bleachers, winter sports are an exciting part of school life that keep everyone active and connected until spring arrives. The preseason has already shown the determination of our athletes, and their goals will guide them through a season full of challenges and triumphs.
