With the arrival of fall and the anticipated start of a new school year, Concord Academy’s returning students are gearing up to start competing and reach new heights. With tryouts taking place during the first week of school, new students might see the process as daunting. This article serves as a guide to inform students of the many options and opportunities available to score athletic credit. Freshmen and sophomores are required to meet this credit for every season (fall, winter, and spring), while juniors and seniors are only required to score credit for two seasons. However, there are countless opportunities to stay active throughout the season that will meet the requirements.
One sport offered by CA this fall is cross-country. Cross-country consists of both a boys and girls running team, with the two of them running together during practices. A typical cross-country practice involves running to various places in the town of Concord, ranging from Great Meadows forest to Walden Pond. Runners train for meets, where they run five kilometers, and the top seven runners from each team score points. While each runner sets their individual goals in every race, the team encourages a close-knit community where athletes collectively work to achieve their objectives. Cross-country also allows younger and newer athletes to build friendships with their peers, along with the opportunity to make connections with upperclassmen.
Another valued fall sport at CA is the girls varsity field hockey team. The field hockey team practices at CA’s Moriarty Athletic Campus, which is approximately a mile away from the main campus. Aleta Sandoski ’27 describes, “[There is a] strong sense of community and inclusiveness among the team and players are always determined to bring back more victories.” This year, the team also cannot wait to welcome new coach Georgia Cassidy!
One of the most popular sports at CA is soccer. The tryouts are much more competitive, and there are a total of five teams. For the boys, the teams consist of the varsity, junior varsity, and finally the thirds team. Meanwhile for the girls, there is both a varsity team and a junior varsity team. As one of the most universally recognized sports, soccer fosters a supportive environment and values perseverance and teamwork. Similar to field hockey, both the varsity soccer teams with the addition of the girls junior varsity soccer team practice at Moriarty Athletic Campus. The boys junior varsity and thirds teams, on the other hand, train at CA’s fields on the main campus.
The last team sport that CA offers in the fall is girls volleyball. Volleyball has two teams: varsity and junior varsity. Both volleyball teams practice indoors in the gyms of the Student Health and Athletic Center (SHAC). Last year, a new roster was introduced in both teams as a result of many seniors graduating. Despite this challenge, both teams were able to thrive and have greatly improved along the way. This year, the team will get ready to come back even stronger.
Other than sports teams, there are many other activities offered such as strength and conditioning, fitness center training, individual strength and conditioning, yoga, hiking, and running. Intramural sports including golf, pickleball, squash, tennis, and volleyball are also offered in the fall. Students may also receive athletic credit by participating in dance, tech crew, and mainstage production as a performer or stage manager. Even being a team manager on one of the sports teams counts as athletic credit!
Finally, the Chandler Bowl for Changing Lives is one of the most important events that occurs in the fall sports season. Each fall, CA’s sports teams compete against the Pingree School in order to acquire the Chandler Bowl. Unfortunately, after six years of victory, CA’s sports teams were unable to hold on to their winning streak last year. However, athletes will be looking forward to going head-to-head against Pingree again to win back the bowl!