Featured Story
Fall Captains Thrilled To Be Back
St. Luke’s fall sports have completed three full weeks of training, utilizing a slow and steady approach to help build collective confidence through athletics.
Although there have been significant differences from previous years because of COVID-19 safety restrictions, athletes have enjoyed being back on the field with their coaches and teammates.
Despite the many challenges throughout the first few weeks, the 2020-21 captains believe the return to sports has been hugely successful.
This year’s Storm football team is captained by Austin Andersen ‘21, Eddy Boris ‘21, Koy Price ‘21, and Jeremy Reid ‘21. The cross country team is captained by Cate Mathews ‘21, Marguerite DeMarco ‘21, and Aidan Gunn ‘21. When asked about preseason, Mathews said: “It’s nice to be back on the Hilltop for the first time in months and get reacquainted with the community. Having run on my own over the summer, it was great to have teammates to run alongside to keep me motivated.”
Varsity volleyball is led by Elyse Kim ‘21, Karey Balkind ‘22, and Catalina Hendricks ‘22, and Kim added: “I've really enjoyed spending time with my teammates and coaches and meeting new people. Even though it's not a normal preseason, we've still found ways to have fun and form strong relationships. I've also been so impressed with how inventive my coaches have been with our drills and how much energy the team has brought to each practice.”
As a precaution, the volleyball program moved outside, so the players had to adjust to their new surroundings. Kim said: “It's challenging to be in a different environment and playing in small groups only, but we've managed to improve and have fun because of each player's enthusiasm.”
Kathleen Ehlers ‘21, Lucy Ehlers ‘21, and Eloise Leclerc ‘21 lead the field hockey team this fall, and Kathleen said: “I've enjoyed being back on the Hilltop, reconnecting, and creating new friendships with the girls on the team. I've also really enjoyed being able to play again.”
There has been an emphasis from coaches and players on fostering community after being away for so long, and boys soccer captain Kainoa Smock ‘21 (Jake Kavan ‘21 and Des Pratt ‘21 are co-captains) believes his team is benefitting from the approach: “The team really wants to be a tight-knit community and, as a whole, we are achieving that. It’s been great to see how all our players are still enjoying themselves even under stressful circumstances.” Demarco added: “I have really enjoyed how we have been able to bond as a team, despite COVID restrictions. I think the dynamic remains as strong as in prior years.”
The captains all agree that the biggest challenge so far has been the inability to scrimmage, but they remain hopeful that they will be able to do so soon. Kim said: “I hope that we can progress to larger group play and maybe even competition. We've been having lots of fun in practice, but there's nothing like volleyball matches.” Girls soccer captain Ryan Weil co-captains are Julia Lombardo ‘21 and Audrey Magnusen) agreed, saying: “I hope we have the opportunity to play games, but if that’s not possible, I hope we continue to grow and develop our skills.”
We hope so too!
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
