Written by Tara McIntosh

Before the fall season began, each of the sport’s coaches were given a choice; either keep the same single session preseason timing as last year, or change the practice to a double session. Now, as the fall season begins and our RCDS athletes prepare to compete, a report of last month’s preseason is strongly needed for the fans wondering how their favorite teams’ training went. How did the players react to the new scheduling? And will we see positive results at the upcoming games or meets? Don’t worry Wildcats, we have high hopes that the outcome of extended preseason will go beyond your wildest expectations!

Director of Athletics Craig Stolzberg shares this optimism for the upcoming months. Because every team except Girls Varsity Soccer chose to include double sessions (at least two per week) in their scheduling, the change was drastic, and he believes the effects will be too. Stolzberg concedes that there are advantages to both options, because for double sessions, “you have more in between time, so there’s a little bit more time for team bonding… and a little bit more time for the kids to eat lunch together.” However, in the single sessions “there is no transition time, so you only have to warm up once and cool down once.” He believes that the response to this change for players was mainly positive, and the result of a double session aligns with this year’s theme, inspiring more connection among athletes. “If you’re a new ninth grader or new to the school, or maybe you played JV last year and don’t know as many people on Varsity, by having a little bit longer together, it allows it to be a little bit more of a team bonding experience as opposed to just a practice experience.” When looking ahead at the upcoming season, Stolzberg hopes that it “gave the kids a bit longer to prepare because it gave their coaches more opportunity to tailor the program.” He is excited to see all of the kids play this season and feels that he knows many athletes better now that he has started his second year at RCDS, making it more rewarding to watch them. 

For the student athletes, the new preseason schedule came as a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. According to Girls Varsity Volleyball Captain Gabriela “Gabby” Schlumberger ‘25, the double sessions were “really good for team bonding and we had more time to do conditioning. Also, it was helpful with our first game that happened early since we were already used to playing with each other.” Varsity Cross Country Captain Taeko Fueno ‘25 also gave a positive review, stating that “it allows us to take our time during stretching and drills, and also to get to know each other, which is especially great for cross country because there’s a lot of people.” She also appreciated the school offering lunch for between sessions, because “I’m usually famished after practice, but also because we get to catch up with our friends who do other sports and also include the new students.” 

Even though it may have been met with questions and hesitation, the decision to extend preseason for many sports created a more prepared and bonded group of athletes. Spectators can’t wait to witness the connectedness it gives players and feel confident they will see the results on the scoreboard.