Fall sports kick off preseason in early August

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Jessica Tang

Abby Lim (10) raises an arm to block Kyra Hawk (12) in a passing drill. Girls water polo practiced on the morning of Aug. 13, one of two Saturday practices.

by Jessica Tang, Photo Editor

Upper school fall sports, boys water polo, cheerleading, cross country, football, girls tennis, girls volleyball and girls water polo, kicked off preseason in early August.

Afternoon practices began for boys water polo on Aug. 8 at the upper school. After two weeks practicing from Monday to Saturday, the boys water polo team played their first scrimmage against Saint Ignatius on Aug. 20. Coming back from a successful CCS win last season, the team seeks to continue their winning streak. Head coach Lee Mcbride feels optimistic about the coming season despite the challenges that come with maintaining a high level of play.

“Our goals are focusing on the smaller details that add up to make a big difference.” Coach Mcbride said. “It’s hard to maintain a high level of competition. The boys are experienced and we’re fortunate enough to be returning [with] the majority [of last year’s team]. We’ll be up for the challenge.”

Girls water polo began preparing for this season on Aug. 8 as well. Following regular practices, the team played their first scrimmage against Archbishop Mitty at the upper school, winning with a score of 10-3 on Aug. 19.

“Our team is pretty bonded together because a lot of us played club during the off-season last year and we’ve been doing preseason for a couple weeks,” Abby Lim (10) said. “[Integrating freshman] hasn’t been difficult because we already knew a couple of them.”

Conditioning and gear distribution for the football team began on Aug. 1. Preseason ramped up with practices everyday from Monday to Saturday beginning Aug 8, and the team played their first scrimmage away against Harbor High School on Aug. 26. One of the football captains, Freddy Hoch (12), reflects on challenges the team may face continuing into the season.

“The main anticipated difficulty is that we are low in numbers. A lot of our guys are already getting dinged up because of small injuries here and there,” Freddy said. “It’ll be tough because people will have to play offense and defense for extended periods of time, so we’ll have to be well conditioned.”

After one week of tryouts beginning on Aug. 8, the girls volleyball team results were released the following weekend. The varsity, junior varsity and freshman-sophomore teams all played their first scrimmages after matriculation on Aug. 19 against Sobrato High School at home. Claire Kampmeier (12), one of the four returning seniors on the Varsity team, offers insight into how the season looks for her.

“Time management [will be difficult] especially with college apps and school, but it’s worth it for me to play,” Claire said. “The team dynamic is great. We all have really good energy that matches each other, and I’m excited to see how each person blossoms when we play games. My goal is to create an environment where volleyball can be fun for the younger girls, instead of putting a lot of pressure on them.”

The first day of school marks the first day of practices for cheerleading. The team’s season extends beyond fall, continuing through winter and into spring for the spring rally. Sarah Westgate (11) looks forward to working with the new cheerleading Coach Chantell Rodriguez to build a solid foundation for the team.

“We have a new coach and we’re all excited about her and what she’s going to bring to the team,” Sarah said. “My personal goal is to become more of a leader this season. I’ve already started working with my teammates and coaches, and I’m really excited to just get back into the swing of things.”