Francis Lee ’16, Isabella Sanchez ’16: Many student-athletes finished their summers by traveling with their sports teams as a part of preseason this year. Whether it was across the country or abroad, more teams than ever packed suitcases and left EA’s campus.
However, some students have raised questions about the necessity of such trips. Meredith Warchol ‘15 points out, “I think that in some ways it’s a fun way to mix up preseason and get more experience. But in other instances, what is the difference between practicing at EA and practicing in a different state, other than playing teams out of the Main Line and Interac?”
Yet, Benjamin Valdes ‘16, a member of the boys soccer team who travelled to North Carolina, answered this question by stating, “Playing different teams allows our team to experience playing at different levels of the game.” Scott McConnell ‘16, a member of the boys golf team who travelled to Florida, added, “We learned about what it was like to perform under the circumstances of a real professional golfer. By going to TPC Sawgrass in Florida we discovered just how intense and difficult it is to play at pro-level golf courses.”
In addition to the exposure of new teams and challenges, preseason trips added a cohesiveness amongst players and coaches while emphasizing the importance of teamwork. Without these trips, teams would not get the chance to get to know each other as closely. Especially with incoming skilled freshman, trips are a vital aspect for the season’s success and inclusion. Zach Viscusi ‘16 explained that for the boys soccer team “the main difference is the amount of control the coaches have over us; they keep us together and make sure we are always where we belong, and because we, as a team, spend so much time together, it makes us bond a lot and gives us great game chemistry.” Valdes commented, “[Preseason trips] help with team bonding because of the rides there and back and the activities we did [in North Carolina] like bowling.”
Similarly, McConnell explained how going to Florida made the golf team stronger because they “played at various high level golf courses and practiced all facets of the game. As opposed to playing at medium difficulty courses, we played at the extremely rigorous TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course and we learned to deal with difficult course conditions.”
Photo courtesy of EA website
With out of state trips like these, the question of expense is also brought up. These pre-season trips ranged from $600 into the thousands and affordability is a concern. Tom Kossuth, Director of Financial Aid, addressed the concern, stating, “If it is a trip where the entire team is going and a student who is receiving financial assistance was on the team and the family requests assistance, we provide assistance for that trip. We try to avoid making someone feel left out if they can’t afford it.” In the future, more teams should hit the road to experience the rewards and once in a lifetime opportunities that are offered by athletic trips.