Video by Bella Crawford:

On the field or on the sidelines, everyone in the Greenwich Academy community is connected to our sports teams. During the fall season in particular, the four varsity sports offered (field hockey, volleyball, soccer and cross country) have been hugely successful.

Last year, each sport had amazing results: the soccer team finished second place in FAAs (Fairchester Athletic Association), volleyball and cross-country both won FAAs, and the field hockey team defeated Hotchkiss to win New Englands, ending Hotchkiss’s 10 year winning streak.

What is the secret to their success?

While varsity membership is highly rewarding, it comes with a hefty time commitment; the teams practice for about two hours a day, five days a week, with the exception of two or three game days. The time commitment allows the teams to vary their practice activities, ultimately leading to improvements in fitness, team bonding, and overall skill.

“It’s hard to learn the game and see the field so that you know where to pass the ball and what works or doesn’t work,” said Julia Booth, XI, member of the varsity field hockey team.

“We split off into our respective positions, and the hitters, setters and passers all work on their skills. When we come back together as a team, you can see a huge change, and we are much better because of it,” said Tyla Taylor, XII, co-captain of the varsity volleyball team.

Many of the girls agreed that the hardest part of practice is conditioning.

“A lot of our conditioning comes from playing in games, but in addition we do both endurance and strengthening drills,” said Megan Root, XI, member of the varsity soccer team.

Although no one really enjoys doing fitness drills, they play an important role in improving the team. “The various exercises we do in practice are very helpful because we get better at both long distance and short interval training,” said Julie Berenblum, XI, cross-country runner.

The time and effort all four teams put in throughout the fall season helps them consistently improve and leads to their huge success.