Last week, many students returned to Archmere’s campus for the first time since finals in June. However, they were not here for school. Instead, these Auks came ready to compete to earn their spot on a team. Potential volleyball, football, soccer, field hockey, cheerleading, and cross country athletes joined together on Archmere’s campus on August 14th for the start of Archmere’s fall sports preseason.
This eventful week started off strong with a brief prayer service. The atmosphere was electric and apprehensive for the week ahead. After saying the Prayer of Commissioning in unison, all teams left the theater with a refreshed mindset and excitement for the season to begin. For many athletes, this week was their first time trying the sport. Nerves were high for the upcoming tryout period, which typically occurred between Days 1 and 3 of preseason. Because many sports suffered great losses of seniors from the athletic Class of 2023, many sports had to consider making cuts. With the threat of cuts and Varsity spots on the line, this first week was filled with hard work. Field hockey captain Ava Hughes states that the team is “super excited for this new season with some new players from JV and incoming freshmen. Even though we lost some great seniors, we are ready to have another successful season.” Ava summarizes the field hockey team’s environment, encapsulating two common themes during this first week: determination and excitement.
Now that the teams’ rosters are set, scrimmages are beginning. The football team was the first to get back out on the field with their scrimmage against Cardinal O’Hara High School. The field hockey, soccer, and volleyball teams have also had their first scrimmage playdays. The boys soccer team had a particularly successful run, going 3-0-1, which will certainly be the start of an exciting season for the team. Although the cross country team does not participate in any scrimmages during the pre-season, the athletes are certainly focused on getting ready for the season. The runners have been working hard to get back into shape by putting in lots of miles during their pre-season practices. Similarly, outside of scrimaging, players on the volleyball, cheerleading, soccer, football, and field hockey teams have been working hard to get conditioned and, more importantly, to build a good team chemistry so they’re ready for the regular season.
The start of match-play and intense practices get our athletes ready to succeed and to give it their all during the fall season. We cannot wait to see all the Auks’ hard work pay off during the first official games of the season starting in just two weeks.
