The spring sports season at South Windsor High School is quickly approaching as the deadline for sports forms were Monday, March 4th. There are a handful of different sports available for students to play this season, sports that some students may not even be aware of. The list of the sports available are as follows – girls and boys lacrosse, boys and girls tennis, track and field, and boys and girls golf, as well as softball, baseball, and boys volleyball. With all of these different options, it may be difficult for new students to decide which sports they would like to play this season.

Boys and Girls Lacrosse:

Lacrosse is a very popular sport here at the high school and there are a lot of people that play. Regardless of this, the team welcomes anyone that decides to join. Senior, Lauren Landino, who is a member of the varsity girls lacrosse team, states, “Our team has so much chemistry and we are accepting of everyone, even if they have never played before.” Although the team contains many skillful players that take the sport very seriously, the team is still very close and has a lot of fun with their teammates inside and outside of school. The girls’ team may be busy with practice everyday after school and about two games per week, but they make time to hang out as a team. Some things they do together are exchange buddy boxes, have pasta parties before games, and have a team sleepover once a year. Similarly, the boys’ team is close as well and Alec Cecchini explains, “Lacrosse gives you a level of companionship between teammates that can only be experienced, and even if the sport isn’t for you, giving it a try won’t hurt anyone.” If you are interested in trying out for lacrosse this year, the tryouts for both teams start on March 16th and the location depends on what the weather is like on the days of tryouts.

Girls and Boys Tennis:

Our tennis teams are very competitive, as the boys and girls teams have both been undefeated in past seasons. Regardless of the players’ talent and competitiveness, they all seem to be good friends on and off the court. The girl’s team senior captain, Leah Polansky, says, “Every girl on the team is genuinely kind, and we are all able to have fun as friends while being a top team in the state.” Additionally, Sam Kim, who is a member of the boys’ team, states, “You meet new people and have fun playing the sport. We get to interact with one another a lot.” Some fun activities that they do together on both teams are have pasta parties, fundraisers, and Double Headers. Kim explains Double Headers as an event where they “go to a match together and play the same team at the same time. We have pizza and other delicious food, and we get to interact with the people on the girls tennis team.” Other than the teams having a great time together, they work very hard at practices and matches. They have matches two to three times a week and practices every weekday. Polansky mentions that at practices “we work on conditioning and consistency to help us win our matches.” However, as the start of the season gets closer Polansky talks about how excited she is and she hopes, “The people trying out for the first time are able to gain new skills. I also hope we can hold our reputation of being a competitive playing team on the court, yet still have a friendly spirit and good sportsmanship.” If you’re interested in trying out for the boys and girls tennis teams, tryouts start on Monday, March 18th.

Girls and Boys Golf:

Girls Golf is the newest sport that has been added to the list of spring sports at SWHS. Girls golf was new to the school last spring and boys golf has been around for just a little bit longer. Junior, Olivia Hewitt, who played on the girls team in 2018 said people should join the golf team because, “You get to meet new people and everyone on the team is very supportive.” The team also has a lot of fun together, having pasta parties and having putting challenges throughout the season. Hewitt explains putting challenges as a game to see who can get the ball in the hole with the least amount of puts. Different from this, the team works hard and has two to three matches a week and on the days where they don’t have matches, they practice at the Topstone Golf Course in South Windsor. As the season gets closer, Hewitt hopes “as a team we can all individually improve our skills and scores throughout the season.” Also, there aren’t any tryouts to get on the golf team, so she hopes that everyone who is interested, signs up.

Girls and Boys Track and Field:

Track and field is a sport that has a lot of variety, as there are many events that you can participate in. If you aren’t a runner, you can throw javelin or even do some sort of jumping. Samantha Sander, who has been on the team for the past two years, states, “You can do multiple events and the team, including the coaches, are super nice and they welcome anyone that joins.” Both the girls and boys team have many members, anyone can join and there aren’t any tryouts. Even though the team consists of many people, Sander describes the team as “really nice and supportive.” To add on senior, Gary Brownbill, says, “You get to meet new people, and just take in what the sport is really about.” Some things that the teams do are buddy boxes, senior night, and fun practices on Saturday mornings where they play capture the flag and have a team breakfast. Another fun thing the boys team does together is sit on the high jump mat before meets and to bond as a team. Differently from what Sanders mentioned, Brownbill took a different look at the sport. He described each meet as a chapter and everyone gets better as the season goes on. Brownbill explains the season like this, “In order to move ahead into the invitational meets later in the season, you need to make certain marks. This is what pushes you. I’ve seen people who have joined with the mindset of getting fit, but find some hidden ability… In track the individuals advance the team as a whole, not matter their ability.” Both Sander and Brownbill hopes that people who join realize this and that individuals on the team will “push past class L with strong numbers” and “get new personal records and qualify for states.”

Don’t forget that there aren’t tryouts for boys and girls track and field, just remember to sign up on March 4th and attend the first practice on Monday, March 18th.

Baseball:

According to junior, Charles Keen, being apart of the baseball team has a lot of good qualities. Keen has been on the team since his freshman year and says that, “It has many different aspects that makes it complex, and there are a lot of rewards and benefits if you’re good at the sport.” Not only can students make many friends from being apart of the team, but they also have team pool parties, go to the beach for tournaments, play lots of frisbee, and even eat out together. After Keen explained all of the things the teammates do together, it is safe to say that the team is close. As the season is a few months long, they have a lot of time to bond and make new friends. Keen described the whole season, saying that, “the beginning is all practices, then the games are added to the schedule. Next are playoffs, and if you win playoffs you continue. If the team loses, the season is over.” With this being said, Keen really hopes that the team can push through and go far this season. He would really like to see the team get to State Championships and win. Therefor, if you would like to be apart of the team and make Keen’s dreams a reality, sign up for baseball and tryout on March 16th.

Softball:

Softball may be a smaller sport at our school, but senior, Taylor Darby, says that it’s a good thing. She explains that “[The smaller community] results in having more of a bond with each other. Also, the sport in general can make you a better athlete all around and having a positive attitude because that’s really important when it comes to softball.” With this is mind, the team is really close and they support each other a lot throughout the season. The season consists of the team having practices after school everyday during the week and about two to three games per week. The team also exchanges buddy boxes and they have a great time laughing with each other on and off the field. However on a more serious note, Darby hopes that, “we all get better as individual players, and seeing that we only lost one senior last year, we should have a very good season. Also, I hope we get further than last year in states, that would be pretty exciting.” If you’re interested in trying out for softball and being apart of the team, tryouts are on Monday, March 16th.

Boys Volleyball:

Lastly, boys volleyball that has many talented players on the team. Junior, Cooper Castellone, has been on the team for quite some time now, mentioned, “Everyone plays to have fun, wants to know each other, and become friends. But at the same time, they’re serious enough to want to win and love the sport.” Additionally, the team may not do many things outside of school together, but they do try to hang out with each other whenever they can during school. At practices and games they have a great time, and they have many chances to hang out with each other at these events. They have matches on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Their practices can last up to two hours but never goes beyond that. Castellone lastly hopes that the team, “has fun and makes it back to the championship game.” If you are interested in trying out for boys volleyball, the tryouts start on March 16th.