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Fall sports
underway
at Academy
The Woodstock Academy football team has been practicing together since Aug. 11.
Last week, the other fall sports were allowed to join them. The boys’ and girls’ soccer teams, cross-country teams, girls’ volleyball and field hockey, all took to the practice field for a first time.
It was also a first time for Gerry LaMontagne and Donte Adams to take a look at their new program.
LaMontagne and Adams will serve as co-head coaches of the field hockey team after Lauren Gagnon resigned as coach of the program at the end of the last school year.
It will be a learning year, not only for their players, but themselves.
“Excited and a little scared, I’m not going to lie,” LaMontagne said. “If this was track and field or football, I would have a lot of comfort. I know those sports. I can pick up on drills, I can pick up on personnel and substitutions. The hard part for me will be like the middle of the third quarter and you feel like the game is tipping one way or the other and what do I do? This sport is a little different and I will have to get the feel for it.”
LaMontagne said he will be relying a lot on the seniors in the program to help with that aspect.
“I’ve heard from the parents that there is great senior leadership on this team so we will definitely be leaning on them a lot,” LaMontagne said.
He also has Adams to lean on.
“It’s a new challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. I wear a lot of hats but at the end of the day, I look at coaching as coaching. I want to bring the motivation that is going to help the ladies out, the same as basketball,” Adams said.
Adams will also be the first-year head coach of the Woodstock Academy boys’ basketball team this winter.
Both LaMontagne and Adams will also have to deal with the administrative side of the program. LaMontagne has been a long-time assistant coach but hasn’t had to deal with the paperwork that head coaches do.
“I met with (Woodstock Academy athletic director) Sean (Saucier) because I know how to organize and run practices but what does the school need me to do? All the types of administrative items that I have to worry about now. It’s a little different. Before I just had to show up and tell the athletes what to do. It was a lot easier than this,” LaMontagne said.
There is already a positive. Last season, the program had only 22 athletes. That number has already risen as 29 had signed up prior to the first practice.
“I’m new but I don’t want this to be a holding season, I don’t think that is fair to the seniors, the girls who have put in three or four years of effort and time. We want to keep building the program. I’ve talked with Lauren (Gagnon) already and will probably be meeting with her to try and educate myself as much as possible,” LaMontagne said.
The field hockey team opens its season at 5 p.m. Sept. 8 at home against the Somers/Rockville cooperative program.
Girls’ Soccer
Dennis Snelling had a smile on his face as he perused his two sets of practices, varsity and junior varsity, taking place on the first day of practice.
“We’re happy with the turnout. I think it’s the most we’ve had in my tenure,” Snelling said as he watched almost 50 girls on the baseball field.
Usual numbers average about 40. Plus, the atmosphere was “normal.”
“It feels like it used to and the team feels like it used to in terms of skill, no one has been hiding, everyone has come in pretty fit,” Snelling added.
“It’s a big part of my regular routine, my life,” Snelling said. “I think this is year No. 19 of coaching soccer. I started when I was 21 (years-old). It’s great to be out here with kids who are really improving. I have told (senior) Grace (Gelhaus) that she is one of the highest-level players that we’ve had in the school. It’s just going to be a fun year. It’s a tough schedule and we’re looking forward to it.”
The Centaurs host Stonington at 4:15 p.m. Sept. 8.
Boys’ Soccer
It was a new, old feeling for coach Paul Rearden. No masks. No social distancing.
“You know what, it’s hard to remember what life before COVID was like. It’s back to normal, there are no restrictions, at least, none that I know of- I had better check my rule book,” Rearden said. ”It’s great.”
The athletes are back too. Rearden had just over 50 athletes turn out for the program which may be slightly lower than in recent years. Woodstock Academy, however, will not field a freshman program this year which may make it a little more challenging to come up with a roster especially with 16 seniors in the program currently.
On the opposite side of that, Rearden has only five juniors out but that is bolstered by a lot of sophomores and a decent “sprinkle” of freshmen.
“We’re in great shape physically,” Rearden said. “We did conditioning as a team and have had 20-25 lads showing up.”
The boys’ soccer team opens at 6 p.m. Sept. 8 in Ledyard.
Volleyball
Like most of the other fall sports, the volleyball team is in good shape to start the season.
“Turnout was better than expected,” said Adam Bottone. The head coach was expecting smaller numbers due to the registration sheets he received, but on the first day of practice, 46 girls came out.
“There are a few who played club at a high-performance level over the summer; there are a few that played club volleyball at the regional level and we have a ton of freshmen who went to Jeff (Boshka’s) local camp and did some other things. We have some decent experience. No more, no less than usual,” Bottone said.
Like his counterparts, Bottone said things feel somewhat normal especially since volleyball is an indoor sport and masks are no longer required.
“We’re running the drills, playing volleyball,” he said. “The possibility of COVID creeping into the season is there because we know it’s not going away. It’s just the flu now and it’s something we need to expect, plan for and be able to adjust around.”
The volleyball team opens at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Alumni Fieldhouse against Ledyard.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
Captions, page 5:
Girls' soccer coach Dennis Snelling directs at the first practice of the season for the team.
Boys’ soccer team get ready for their first practice of the season. Photos by Marc Allard.
Captions, page 7:
The field hockey team gets ready to warm up prior to its first practice of the season. Donte Adams, LaMontagne: Gerry LaMontagne and Donte Adams will serve as co-head coaches for the Woodstock Academy field hockey program this fall. Photos by Marc Allard.
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