While many winter athletes are still in their winter seasons, some members of the girls’ lacrosse team are returning to the turf.

The winter league is a series of offseason games that allows players to develop their skills and build chemistry going into the spring season. The atmosphere is more relaxed, with no formal practices; the focus of these games is development. This allows players to rebuild game instincts, adjust to teammates, and build their foundational skills before the season begins.

“What we really hope for is to get people with their sticks in their hands. It can be a long year if you haven’t picked up your stick.” Jennifer Leffler, the team’s coach, said, “It’s very casual.”

For many players, the winter league offers a valuable opportunity to get rid of some of the rust that comes with not playing for a while. Sophomore Cadey Mook said the league helps players get back into lacrosse before the regular season.

“It’s a great opportunity to play and get to know other lacrosse players,” Cadey said.

After months without playing, she said that getting back onto the field was important in relearning skills.

“Lacrosse is one of those sports where if you’re not actively playing, you can get rusty,” said Cadey.

Because of this, Winter League provides valuable playing time, especially for athletes who might not play club lacrosse in the winter months.

This relaxed structure is also valuable to younger players who are new to the Upper School Lacrosse program. While many upperclassmen are still competing in winter sports, the winter league features a younger roster filled with new and excited players. This helps allow freshmen and new athletes to step into larger roles on the team. Freshman Cadence DiNardo, who played lacrosse in middle school for Hackley, decided to join the winter league to prepare for the upcoming season.

“I wanted to improve, to get my stick in my hands so that I could be better prepared for the upcoming season,” Cadence said.

As one of the new players on the team, Cadence said that this experience has already helped her adjust to high school lacrosse.

“I’m new, and it helped me play with people I’ve never played with before. And again, it helped me play more,” Cadence said.

Beyond improving foundational skills, the winter league helps players improve their chemistry with others before games start. Learning how different players communicate and react in game situations is extremely important and makes a significant difference once the season begins.

“I think it’s a great way for new and younger people to feel comfortable with the team and the chemistry in that way.” Leffler said, “It allows them to get to know the team.”

Learning how to play with teammates was a big benefit of the winter league.

“Playing with new teammates is really helpful so we can learn people’s styles of play,” said Cadey Mook.

Stepping into a new environment still isn’t easy. For freshmen specifically, one of the biggest challenges has been building their confidence while playing alongside more seasoned players.

“I’ve seen everybody in school, but I didn’t know them. I’m a little shy, but playing with people who are better than me, that’s how you get better,” Cadence said.

Learning how to play when it might be uncomfortable is part of the development that happens in the winter league. Even though the team plays against strong public school competitors, winning isn’t the main goal.

“We play a lot of really good teams, a lot of really good public school teams, and that’s awesome for our development too,” Leffler said.

Even so, there are still some thrilling moments in the games as well.

Cadey said, “We were down 18-19 with 30 seconds left, Julia Puthiyamadan got fouled at the halfway point of the field. In those 30 seconds we were able to tie, it was a really exciting comeback!”

As the spring season approaches, the winter league is a space where players can build their confidence, connections with teammates, and fundamentals before the season starts. The girls lacrosse program will clearly be well prepared before the first official whistle.