Spring Training: Student and Faculty Perspective
With the arrival of spring sports and a close to the winter season, most of the varsity teams will be traveling to warmer destinations around the country to prepare for the upcoming season. Over 120 of our students on varsity rosters will be traveling to Florida with the exception of the crew team and girls' lacrosse team. Many teams will enjoy time at Universal Studios, an amusement park, while also practicing and preparing for the upcoming season. While many teams will be heading to Florida, the girls' lacrosse team is heading to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and the Crew team will travel to Oak Ridge, Tennessee. “The Crew team is traveling to Tennessee because their rivers and environment align with the training useful for competitions in New York,” said Ms. Capozzoli, Assistant Director of Athletics at Riverdale.
We also talked to John Pizzi, Director of Athletics at Riverdale about what the trips will help our athletes. Pizzi said, “In addition to ample practice time, it's also important as a bonding experience for the athletes on each team to get to know each other.” The varsity softball and baseball teams will be training at select facilities at the ESPN Wide World of Sports. Riverdale Athletics will have the ability to compete with local teams and start their season off strong. The trip will provide teams an opportunity to have fun, while also balancing their athletic training.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, spring training trips have been put on hold for the past three years. Mr. Pizzi told the Riverdale Review that with the absence of spring training, there had been a discrepancy in preparation for Spring sports. The spring season, unlike the fall and winter seasons, does not have a “preseason” time period useful for preparation. These trips will make it possible for athletes to get a strong foundation and form connections with their team as well as learn what is necessary for success throughout the spring season.
Since covid has stopped these trips from happening the past few years, these trips are a new experience for most student athletes on varsity teams, leaving many of them unsure what to expect. For example, 10th grader, Thompson Brown, who has been on the Varsity Tennis team since 9th grade, said that he feels excited about his trip with the Boys' varsity Tennis team to Florida. Brown told us, “I’m excited. It seems fun to travel with the team. I can understand why some people might be nervous, but I’m excited.” Thompson also mentioned he felt like there needs to be more chemistry within his team. “The season (last year) had begun without any preparation. Spring break had just ended, and there wasn't really any time to practice together or get to know each other.” Overall, here at the Riverdale Review, we hope all Spring Varsity Teams experience a fun, useful, and educational trip to better the chances of a successful spring season.
