'Offseason' is a relative term for college athletes. While the daily practices and weekend tournaments might come to an end, that final buzzer marks the beginning of a new regimen of conditioning, weightlifting, and skills training designed to keep players in top form for the next year.
That phase has been kicked into high gear in recent weeks as winter sports teams, eyeing the NESCAC Nov. 1 start date for official practices, engage in less formal preparation for their approaching seasons. Group workout sessions and captains' practices have replaced individual training as the season approaches. When coaches meet with their squads for their first official practices, they will find their players with renewed focus and energy.
"We've been running captains' practices since Oct. 1," said senior Meghan Wallach, a tri-captain of the 2005 women's swimming and diving team. "We all come in, especially freshmen, with different backgrounds in terms of what kind of shape we're in. This way, we all build up together and build a good foundation for the season right away."
Because coaching is not allowed before the Nov. 1 date, captains' practices are essentially regular team practices with the captains filling in for the coaches.
"They're something to get everyone together in the gym at same time, to work on stuff before the coach gets involved," senior women's basketball tri-captain Jess Powers said. "It's a chance to prep freshmen, show them how we play, and run the floor."
Most winter sports teams have been holding some combination of team practices and workout sessions since early October. These preseason practices are especially important to the swimming team, which dives right into action next weekend at the Wheaton Relay scrimmage.
"Playing a sport where you have a meet the first weekend, you need to be in shape at that point," Wallach said. "With everything we've been practicing and with our freshman class, which is strong in all aspects and all strokes, I think we're going to be ready."
But even for the basketball and hockey teams, which have their first tests on Nov. 18, the Nov. 1 start date allows coaches less than three weeks to work on skills, implement offensive and defensive setups, and organize all the moving parts of a successful team before games begin.
"It's its important to get back in shape," said senior Pat Walsh, a captain of the ice hockey team. "Because the league is so competitive, if we just started Nov. 1, it'd be hard to jump right into it."
NESCAC regulations are stricter than those of many other leagues. Because the basketball teams don't begin their league schedules until January, they often face teams early in the season that have had a two-week head start in practice time.
"A lot of teams we play right off the bat have already been practicing now for two weeks because NESCAC starts later than other leagues," Powers said. "Other Div. III teams that aren't in our conference are already practicing, so we really try to accelerate it in preseason."
In addition to sharpening fundamentals and getting athletes back into game shape, preseason practices afford teams a chance to foster chemistry and build friendships that will only strengthen the team in competition. Freshmen are introduced to their teammates and the program as captains are given an opportunity to demonstrate leadership.
"[Preseason practices are] a good way to get [team chemistry] going; a chance for freshman to meet the guys and feel at home before the season starts," Walsh said. "It's not mandatory, but we police ourselves and everyone wants to show up; everyone wants to skate."
Shared mentality and basic fitness are keys to any squad's success, especially early in the season as teams are thrown headfirst into rigorous schedules. Both the basketball and hockey teams play three games in the first five days of their seasons.
"Captains' practices are an opportunity to get people together to swim," Wallach said. "It's more motivating to do it together, so in that way, it's team bonding. It's important to make sure everyone is on same page."
That attitude was reflected on the men's side as well.
"We make morning practices at 7:00 a.m. because no one has class, so the whole team can be together in one place at one time, which doesn't happen a lot during the season," said Marc Katz, a quad-captain of the men's swimming team. "We've had some team activities outside the water, too - we had a barbeque a few weeks ago with the girls' team, and on the first day of captains' practices, we couldn't use the pool, so went on scavenger hunt around Medford instead."
Senior Brian Fitzgerald, a captain of the men's basketball team, commented on the mixture of informal team bonding and more technical practice that team-run practices afford.
"When we play pickup, sometimes we work more on skills and fundamentals and sometimes we just play for fun," he said. "It's a more informal setting, so you get more time to talk to the guys. We still get it done, but it's not as structured."
Even without the structure that coaches naturally bring to their practices, the athletes are serious about getting in game shape and recognize the importance of these few preseason weeks.
"Captains practices aren't a joke," Katz said. "They're almost to the level of what normal practices will be when season rolls around. Most of the team has been putting in a significant amount of work, and we'll be ready."
