With the fast approaching allure of spring comes the arrival of spring sports. At Concord Academy, there are a multitude of options during the spring, ranging from softball to tennis, and even sailing. This article serves to break down the surge of new information into manageable groups peeks into each of the spring teams. It’s important to recognize that the best source for information is the team itself, and communicating with members of each team can be the most insightful experience.
The CA boys varsity baseball team is full of energy. This year, it holds a new combination of coaches. Harris Roebuck ’25 says, “This year we will have coach Ramcy Lora, and Dave Cramoy. These coaches were most definitely the best baseball coaches I have had here, and I am incredibly excited to be working with them again.” With a solid competitive spirit, yet simultaneously a supportive environment, the baseball team is a great place to compete and play. A fun tradition the baseball team has is a Dave’s Hot Chicken run, usually later in the season, and many other activities are held to promote bonding between the team.
The CA boys varsity lacrosse team is coming hot off of their best performance in decades. With a recent change in the EIL temporarily removing two of the stronger teams, the boys lacrosse team has a decent shot of upholding their strength. With seven senior players leaving for college, the lacrosse team is quite short on players, and anyone who is remotely interested in playing should try out. Wells Alling Graney ’26 says, “It’s an up-and-coming program with a lot of young talent. It’s a good time.” The team culture focuses on having a good time, incorporating competitive fun into practice and games.
The CA girls varsity lacrosse team is much more competitive compared to the boys, with a new coach last year morphing the team culture into a more focused atmosphere. The team has done incredibly well in recent years, Anna Hutter ’25 mentions that “ I think we had a tied record last year. I've seen our individual skills definitely go up as I've been on the team.” Anna mentions that the team is very tight-knit, and works toward good collaboration. While they are focused on competing, the team makes room for fun with a competitive easter egg hunt.
The CA sailing team is incredibly welcoming, with practices at Lake Cochituate in Natick from Tuesday through Friday. The team gets Mondays off due to the large amount of time they spend on the other weekdays. When asking Abbie Deng ’25 about the team, she replied, “Our team is very close-knit, and we have people on the team from all different grades and sailing backgrounds.” Along with the team culture, they hold a yearly Dairy Queen trip, and have done exceptionally well, winning the B West Division trophy at the end of last season.
The CA softball team is yet another incredibly close-knit team, with May Stutz ’26 saying, “The team chemistry is unlike any other at CA, it’s definitely a group that would not necessarily interact without softball, but we become a team because of it.” The team knows how to have fun, with playful cheering during games, and fun traditions. May mentions that her favorite tradition is the act of bringing (and eating) baguettes to softball games as a sideline snack. While the team is still developing, games feel very competitive and the team is constantly improving.
The CA boys varsity tennis team may be one of the strongest teams at CA, after winning EILs the past three years in a row, and finally winning NEPSACs last year after being finalists both years prior. Despite competition, boys tennis is very supportive. Misha Varlamov ’26 says, “You would think that tennis is a very individual sport, but everyone really cares about each other. Everybody is cheering everybody on, everybody is being included, and people try to support everyone as much as possible.” For those that are looking to try out, there is also a boys JV tennis team, as varsity tennis is quite competitive. But with a team dinner after NEPSACs and Instagram posts after matches, the tennis team is an incredibly fun team to be a part of.
The CA girls varsity tennis team also holds a solid record, after coming in second in the EILs both years prior, and qualifying for NEPSACs the past nine years in a row. The highlights of the team include a multitude of traditions, ranging from four-leaf clover hunts to NEPSAC studying. Peper Granskog ’26 mentions, “At the end of the year, we have the Paper Plate Awards, where each player is given a paper plate with a quality or title that is a superlative which defines who they are as a player and teammate.” The team is also quite small, creating a very close team, and really makes the sport a fun time.
The CA track team is the largest team at CA, and with this size comes an interesting formula of team cultures. Often, people on the team bond closely with others in the same event, for example throwers with throwers, sprinters with springers, and distance runners with fellow distance runners. Yet, even with such variety, the team has a large culture of cheering for others, whether you are a thrower watching your long-distance friend racing the 1500 meter run, or if you are a sprinter cheering for the long jump. With the addition of new head coach XXX, the team is looking forward to holding onto their records, with the boys team winning EILs, and the girls team narrowly missing and landing second in the EILS in the previous year. Andrii Vedmid ’26 says, “Track is the raw display of athleticism.”If you are trying out for Track, be sure to explore all the different events, as you never know what your next passion may be in such a broad sport.”
The CA ultimate frisbee team values an idea called the “spirit of the game.” According to Jake Xu ’25, “It’s a culture of competitiveness in the most positive way, recognizing ultimate as a sport that is supposed to be tolerant of mistakes and tolerant of all different levels of play.” Jake mentions his favorite moment playing ultimate being the game against Phillips Andover. “They beat us pretty badly, but it was one of the best athletic experiences for me, because of how spirited they were, and how I could admire athleticism and good plays in the game.” With fun traditions such as giving funny socks to an opposing team member, the ultimate frisbee team is an exciting, competitive team with a bright future and a strong team going into the spring season.
Each team offers such a wide variety of traditions, cultures, and values, yet the support and competition of the Concord Academy athletics is unwavering. With such a vibrant team energy, students should be sure to attend games and meets to cheer on the teams that dedicate themselves to their competition.