For Hackley athletes, one of the most exciting and anticipated events each year is the spring sports trips. During one of the two weeks of spring break, most of Hackley’s spring sports teams travel to places varying from California to different parts of Florida. The main reasons for the trips are to bond as a team and gain practice before the official start of the season. Students rave about their experiences and often come back more prepared for their sports.

This year the Hackley boys and girls lacrosse teams traveled to Naples, Florida, and worked with Trilogy Lacrosse, a program dedicated to helping lacrosse players and teams across the country. The teams normally had practice once or twice a day, followed by an occasional game at night. The teams played opponents from places such as Oregon, Chicago, and Maryland. Overall, both teams enjoyed their experiences and admitted that although it was very hot, they felt like they improved as a team tremendously.

“I definitely saw a major difference from our first day of practice to the last day of practice during the trip which was very encouraging. We had a ton of practice and it was very hot, but overall I really enjoyed the trip and think our team benefited a lot from it,” sophomore Remy Becker said.

“This is my first season of lacrosse and I was very excited for this upcoming season. The trip was so fun and I created so many memories with my best friends and I also think I improved at lacrosse which was an added benefit,” said junior Jordy Singer.

The boys and girls golf teams traveled to Orlando, Florida, and stayed at the Reunion Resort. With the resort’s three different golf courses, the teams got to play a new course almost every day. A normal day for the teams included one practice round, lunch as a team, and free time to use the rest of the commodities offered by the resort.

“The trip was so fun and I am really grateful we got to play at such nice courses and stay at that resort. With a lot of free time, the team got really close with each other and I think that chemistry will help us throughout the season,” junior captain Jake Hendelman said.

This year the track team traveled to Irvine, California. The team normally had two runs a day, one of which was more workout focused and the other more relaxed. The team also had multiple runs on the mountains, most notably a ten–mile run by the distance team. During their free time, the team spent time on the beach and had team bonding experiences such as beach volleyball games. Throughout the trip, the team got much closer.

“It was really fun and I had a great time. The views we got to see on our runs were sick and very memorable,” junior Baraka Middleton said.

The girls softball team traveled to Orlando, Florida. The trip was highlighted with fun team events, most notably a visit to Universal Studios. The team played in scrimmages against teams from other parts of the country, getting themselves well-prepared for the season. The preparation paid off as the team started 2-0 in their first two Ivy League competitions.

The boys baseball team went to Fort Pierce, Florida. The team played four games going 3-1, starting their season on a strong note. Highlighted by a combined no hitter by senior captain Aiden Aybar and sophomore Sam Suniewick, the team saw huge potential for the upcoming season. Aside from playing baseball, the team visited the beach, and arcades, and all in all grew as a team.

“I thought the trip was very beneficial for our team and I think it will definitely help us throughout the season. We are 4-1 right now and I think a big part of that is due to the chemistry we built on the trip along with the extra practice we got in,” junior Conor Ranawat said.

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