Five teams traveled to Florida during the March break this year hoping to spring into action ahead of their seasons.

The softball team, stationed at Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., blossomed as a group, playing eight games in just five days. Highlights from the games included home runs from senior Jaelyn Walsh and sophomores Sydney Hallowell and Jess Chieco. When they weren’t competing, the teammates bonded with a trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, where they visited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Volcano Bay Water Park, Islands of Adventure, and CityWalk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The baseball squad took 36 athletes to the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach. The group took part in eight scrimmages against teams from Alaska, North Dakota, Missouri, and Maryland. Highlights included senior Alex Tawa’s return to the mound after an injury, along with home runs from junior Gabriel Tirado and seniors John LaFleur and Aidan Healy. The team also took time to catch up with Luis Guerrero ’17, who was in the area as a member of the Houston Astros spring training group. Guerrero toured the boys through the Astros complex, showed coaches and players some of the training that goes on in the big leagues, and shared wisdom about what it takes to be a good teammate and a good baseball player.

The girls lacrosse team, who spent their trip right in Orlando, went undefeated in three games against Brewster Academy and Tabor Academy. The team also spent an afternoon at the beach and did some team-building with an escape room challenge and a movie night. The girls ended their trip with an early morning beach run and workout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The boys lacrosse program practiced out of the Boombah Sports Complex in Sanford. The group of more than 30 athletes trained two to three times a day. Highlights included scrimmages against Highland Park of Texas and the Middlesex School as well as culture-building with professional lacrosse coach Jim Stagnitta. The team wrapped things up on their last night of the trip with paintball, which included coach participation, much to the players’ delight.

The equestrian squad wrapped up its winter season with an impressive weeklong showing at the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit in Ocala as part of a 12-week United States Equestrian Foundation competition. Eight athletes took part in the trip as preparation for the Interscholastic Equestrian Association Zone 1 Finals, which take place April 1–2.

With the community back on the Island and school in session, all the Pelicans are just days away from their first games on campus. Visit the Loomis Chaffee athletics website to find the complete spring schedule for all teams.