By Lauren Dougherty ’22, Sports Writer

Every spring break, while some NA students are enjoying their two weeks on family vacations or relaxing at home, spring athletes are preparing for the upcoming season. Almost every NA spring sports team is able to take a trip to a warmer place where they can get in training, scrimmages, and team bonding activities. All the teams that had chances to take spring training trips, from softball to lacrosse, made the best use of their time.

For many teams, taking a team trip is a necessary start for the season. The boys’ tennis team took a trip to Mesquite, Nevada where they spent their time at the Rising Stars Sports Ranch Resort. When asked if the trip was worth it, Captain Drew Flanagan ’19 said, “Yes—good team bonding and we got most of our challenge matches done.” The tennis team’s preseason trip is occupied by determining the lineup, i.e. first and second singles and doubles teams. As the nature of the challenge matches requires good weather, court space, and time, taking a trip to a warmer place like Nevada is logistically the best option. Playing against teammates may create a competitive atmosphere, but it didn’t prevent boys’ tennis from having a fun trip.

Although many teams have been preparing for the season throughout the entire year, these preseason trips solidified all their hard work. The girls’ lacrosse team also went to the Rising Stars Sports Ranch Resort where they got in a lot of training in the warm weather. Jamie Paradis ’20 noted, “We got a lot better, actually.” While some people may think these trips may not make a big difference in performance, it is clear that a focused amount of time preparing for the season pays off.

Preseason trips are not strictly about training; many of the benefits of taking a trip come from becoming a closer team. The golf team went to Port St. Lucie, Florida where they were able to golf in beautiful weather. Antoine Chouraqui ’19 said, “The trip was really fun…more like the team taking a vacation together.” As seen by their continuous success, the golf team undoubtedly worked hard over their trip, but they definitely bonded as well.

Boys’ lacrosse took a trip to Arizona, the baseball team went to Vero Beach in Florida, and softball went to Tennessee–a change in location from the usual softball trip to Orlando. All the teams got to play scrimmages and games against other schools and train. Preseason trips are really beneficial to establishing the atmosphere of every team for the rest of the season.

The only spring sports team that did not go on a trip was the track team. While the track team had successful preseason practices, they were held at Newark Academy as they are every year. When asked about how he feels about every other team getting to take a trip, track captain Spencer Wang ’19 said, “I would like one, but due to the size and structure of the team I see why it’s difficult.” The track team is one of the largest sports teams and their training does not necessarily require them to travel or compete against other teams at popular sports complexes. However, when asked where he would like to go, he responded, “Cali baby!!”

Whether they spent their time playing lacrosse in the desert or running around the track at NA, all the athletes and teams had successful spring breaks that are only precursors to even more successful seasons.