By Aakash Koduru ’20 News Reporter
As winter sports launched this past week, the annual question returned: why do we have preseason for winter sports? After all, it only lasts for one week, and Thanksgiving break then immediately interrupts. However, in the eyes of many in the Mercersburg community, preseason is essential.
“I think the winter preseason is a really good thing. It helps everyone come back into the groove with their winter sport and bond with their team,” says varsity boys squash player Clay Pritchett ‘20. Going even further, winter preseason is actually a very good thing considering that exams are right around the corner, and stress is understandably at a very high level for the whole student body. Winter preseason gives students one to two hours every day to just forget about everything else and have fun playing what they love.
Additionally, winter preseason can also serve as a good precursor to the break. Athletes often use vacation to rest and relax, having to train less than they do at Mercersburg. However, preseason establishes a good training routine, making it much more likely for that training to continue. If they do so, they will return from Thanksgiving break as strong as possible in their respective sports.
Many coaches value the winter preseason, with head track coach David Grady saying that it affords him an early look at the range of athletes, allowing him an early idea of what events students might run. This thinking could apply any sports as all coaches need to know the strengths of the athletes that they are getting in order to prepare for the official start of the season, following Thanksgiving break.